Dec 3, 2008 6:16 pm US/Pacific
Gas Explosion Caused Deadly San Rafael House Fire
SAN RAFAEL (CBS 5 / BCN) ―
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A two-alarm fire consumes a home in San Rafael.
Jeff Hoffman
A natural gas explosion ignited a two-alarm fire at a San Rafael home that resulted in the death of a resident, fire officials said Wednesday.
But investigators were still trying to determine what caused the explosion itself, according to San Rafael Fire Department Division Chief Keith Schoenthal.
"We haven't been able to pin down what caused it to go off," Schoenthal said.
The Marin County coroner's office identified Alexander Gregory Sujohn as the man found dead inside the single-family, one-story house at 812 A Street that burned Tuesday afternoon.
Sujohn, 51, was badly burned and he was identified through his dentures, said coroner's deputy Jeff Sherman.
Whether Sujohn died of his burns or from smoke inhalation is still unknown, Sherman said. Results of an autopsy were pending toxicology tests.
Sujohn was found in the front living/dining room of the small home, Schoenthal said. The natural gas explosion occurred in a portion of the duplex structure that was vacant and had not been rented, he added.
It is believed Sujohn was the only one living in the residence and he might have been the brother of the owner of the home, investigators said.
The fire caused $150,000 structural damage and $25,000 damage to the contents, Schoenthal said. The fire broke out at 4 p.m. and was contained about a half-hour later, but Sujohn's body wasn't found until about 7:15 p.m.
San Rafael police department spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher said an officer and several residents of the area heard a loud explosion before the building erupted in flames. The south wall of the house "was completely blown out," Rohrbacher said.
A team of Marin County fire investigators from multiple county agencies was continuing to investigate the blaze, as is protocol with fatal fires in San Rafael, Rohrbacher said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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