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No cause determined for fatal house fire
Grandmother, two grandchildren, her boyfriend died in Monday morning Napa blaze
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Firefighters have not determined what caused a Monday morning house fire in Napa that killed a grandmother, her two grandchildren and her boyfriend.
Aurora Castanon, 58, Eutimio Torres, 37, Matthew Castanon, 12, and Giovanni Mendez, 4, all died in the 5 a.m. fire at 1418 Vale Avenue in Napa.
Aurora Castanon, 58, Eutimio Torres, 37, Matthew Castanon, 12, and Giovanni Mendez, 4, all died in the 5 a.m. fire at 1418 Vale Avenue in Napa.
Inspectors wrapped up their investigation of the blaze late Tuesday afternoon. Officials did not release information about what they believe happened, except to say that they are still looking at electrical components of the house, according to Napa Fire Capt. Jim Pope. “We do not suspect foul play.”
The fire started and was contained to the living room, which is adjacent to the bedroom where firefighters found the victims.
The fire started and was contained to the living room, which is adjacent to the bedroom where firefighters found the victims.
Autopsies were performed Tuesday. Results showed no signs of foul play, according to the county coroner's office.
“The male (Torres) had some slight burns, but the other three did not suffer any burns,” Pope said.
“The male (Torres) had some slight burns, but the other three did not suffer any burns,” Pope said.
The official cause of death will be released when toxicology tests are completed.
Pope said the fire never made it to the bedroom. “Firefighters had it knocked down within seven minutes after arriving on scene.”
The home had a smoke detector. However, fire investigators have not determined if it was working.
“It’s been sent to lab to be tested. If it was working properly, it certainly would have improved the victims’ chances of making it out of the house,” Pope said.
Pope said fire specialists have been called in to aid in the fire investigation.
“They will be looking at appliances and other electrical components to see if everything was working properly,” he said.
The Christmas tree was still up in the living room. “We don’t know if that is what started the fire, but it certainly was fuel for the fire. It went up very fast with intense heat and quickly filled the room with heat and smoke,” Pope said.
Aurora Castanon had reportedly told several people the heater in the home had not functioned for several years.
Norma Mendez — Castanon's daughter and mother of the two children who died in the fire — said her mother had complained to the landlord, but the heater had not been fixed.
The property is owned by Kenneth and Janet Van Gorder of Napa. Telephone calls to the Van Gorders were not returned.
The fire investigation was completed late Tuesday and survivors of the victims were allowed to return to collect belongings, according to a city of Napa release.
Pope said the fire never made it to the bedroom. “Firefighters had it knocked down within seven minutes after arriving on scene.”
The home had a smoke detector. However, fire investigators have not determined if it was working.
“It’s been sent to lab to be tested. If it was working properly, it certainly would have improved the victims’ chances of making it out of the house,” Pope said.
Pope said fire specialists have been called in to aid in the fire investigation.
“They will be looking at appliances and other electrical components to see if everything was working properly,” he said.
The Christmas tree was still up in the living room. “We don’t know if that is what started the fire, but it certainly was fuel for the fire. It went up very fast with intense heat and quickly filled the room with heat and smoke,” Pope said.
Aurora Castanon had reportedly told several people the heater in the home had not functioned for several years.
Norma Mendez — Castanon's daughter and mother of the two children who died in the fire — said her mother had complained to the landlord, but the heater had not been fixed.
The property is owned by Kenneth and Janet Van Gorder of Napa. Telephone calls to the Van Gorders were not returned.
The fire investigation was completed late Tuesday and survivors of the victims were allowed to return to collect belongings, according to a city of Napa release.
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saralh1518 wrote on Feb 5, 2008 2:23 PM:
sprinter wrote on Feb 5, 2008 2:53 PM:
napamartha wrote on Feb 5, 2008 3:38 PM:
and since this is such an immense tragedy, let's not make it any harder on the family by "guessing". My heart aches for all involved. Peace be with you. "
npagrl wrote on Feb 5, 2008 6:19 PM:
Napamama wrote on Feb 5, 2008 7:14 PM:
mytwocents wrote on Feb 5, 2008 8:05 PM:
sososad wrote on Feb 6, 2008 7:44 AM:
"
hudds5 wrote on Feb 6, 2008 9:31 AM:
Until then, we should ask ourselves, when was the last time I tested the smoke detector. "
Napkin wrote on Feb 6, 2008 12:35 PM: