BAY POINT (BCN) — A fire that killed a male victim in a Bay Point shed on Wednesday was likely caused by the release of flammable gas, an official with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said Thursday.
There were a number of objects in the shed that could have ignited the gas, Fire Marshal Robert Marshall said. Fire inspectors found candles and lights, along with electrical devices and welding materials, he said.
“Our official cause will be undetermined,” Marshall said. “It’s actually a technical term for us, meaning there are too many things with the ability to ignite the fire to narrow it down.”
Fire inspectors will also not likely be able to determine the exact point of ignition, Marshall said. Fire officials do know that at some point, flammable gas in the shed ignited and caused two explosions. One explosion was likely heard when the gas ignited, Marshall said.
“The second was a propane container that did explode on site,” he said. “It would have been a very big boom.”
Fire crews responded just after 4 p.m. on Wednesday to the 400 block of Shore Road in Bay Point, Marshall said. Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire coming from the shed and saw propane and acetylene gas tanks, which are used in welding, on fire.
The firefighters concentrated their efforts on extinguishing the blaze and making sure it didn’t spread to a nearby house, Marshall said.
Once they were able to extinguish the fire and enter the shed, Marshall said they quickly located the body of a male victim. As of this afternoon, a coroner’s deputy said the coroner’s office had not yet identified the body.
Marshall said the fire was extinguished in roughly 20 minutes but not before the fire had completely destroyed the shed, badly damaged an adjacent shed, burned some fencing and a small patch of grass.He estimated it caused $10,000 to $15,000 in damage.