Butcher Shop Burns in Florida

PORT CHARLOTTE -- Normally when the inventory from a butcher shop goes up in flames, it's because someone is barbequing dinner, but Saturday night it was the result of something more malicious.

Kallis German Butcher Shop, which has been located at 2420 Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte for the last 28 years, was the target of an arson fire which began around 8:15 p.m., according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. Neighbors called 911 after they observed flames coming through the roof of an external freezer attached to the back of the building.

Steve Holt, who owns the Pulse Bar located in the same plaza, said his customers began smelling smoke from the neighboring shop around 8:20 p.m. By the time Charlotte County Fire/EMS arrived, flames were shooting 15 feet into the air, authorities said. Everyone was safely evacuated from the plaza and no one suffered injuries.

The fire department was able to contain the fire so it did not spread into the shop, but much of the business' inventory had already been destroyed.

All that was left of a freezer containing bread imported from Europe were some charred remains of metal shelves and various remnants of kitchen hardware.

Patty Lonski, who has managed the establishment for 17 seasons, said the products are not easily replaced. All the commodities at the specialty store have to be imported from Europe, which can sometimes take weeks.

'There is nowhere else that comes close to this place,' said Lonski. 'All our sausages and cold cuts are made in-house, nothing has preservatives or additives; our products cannot withstand heat -- they don't keep like the stuff you buy at the grocery.'

Lonski said after the fire, the electricity was shut off. She and owner Manfred Kallis worked hard to save all the meat and the chocolate, which is also imported from Europe. While all the bread in the freezer was destroyed, an additional supply of bread in another freezer remained untouched.

'We have a lot of cleaning up to do, but we hope to be open Tuesday during our regular hours of operation,' said Kallis.

The State Fire Marshal is investigating the exact cause of the arson.

CCSO detectives reported that they obtained video surveillance from a neighboring business showing four boys on bicycles behind the strip mall where the butcher shop is located around 5:23 p.m. The boys were heading south toward the CVS at the corner of Tamiami Trail and Midway Boulevard, according to the report.

'The police interviewed all the boys and they denied knowing anything about the fire,' said Kallis. 'We just hope the case is solved.'

Holt said that it is no surprise that children would be riding their bikes around the area, since there is a neighborhood behind the strip mall, but he said they don't usually cut through the alley way behind the shops.

The CCSO asks that anyone with information call the CCSO at 941-639-2101, or Crime Stoppers at 800-780-TIPS (8477).

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