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FIRE DAMAGE REPORTCitil of Cuperti»o TO: John Busto, Chief Building Inspector DATE: Oct. 7, 1974 FROM. Ed Murphy, Electrical Inspector SUBJECT: Fire Damages to a 2 -Story Single Family Residence at 10380 Castine Ave. Owner: Peter B. Jones On October 6, 1974 at 3:23 a.m. a fire started at the above location which created extensive damages to the structure. Major damages took place in the garage and spread to the residence after penetrating the roof next to the second story structure. Damages have occurred to the roof and under floor area of the structure. It appears from my inspection that the fire originated at or near the main electrical panel on the servicing utility side, for the down riser that encloses the incoming service wires shows high heat damages to the solid conduit, and the wooden plate at this location -is completely destroyed. The incoming wiring was aluminum with thermo-plastic insulation. Evidence in the burned panel shows all the aluminum wiring received a very high heat and melted into a molten mass at the bottom of the panel box. The interior construction of the panel, including meter connection and the main panel breaker were completely destroyed by the initial fire. The riser became heated when the insulation melted from the wiring, and the wiring rested against the inside of the conduit. The conduit has two burned scars clear through the metal approximately 8 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. Also, there is a spot burned through below the plate line on the outside of the building. Due to the high heat damages to the down riser by the incoming service wiring and the completely destroyed wooden plate at the base of the main panel, there could be reasonable assumption that a flame developed at this location and burned its way through the structure. Cittl of CNperti»o TO: John A. Busto, Chief Building Inspector DATE: Oct . 7, 197+ FROM: Jim West, Building Inspector SUBJECT: Fire Damages at 10380 Castine Ave. Owner: Peter B. Jones The following items were noted on inspection at the above location: 1. Garage structure from foundation up shall be replaced. 2. All of the roof structure shall be replaced, including ceiling joists. 3. Some first floor and second floor stud walls shall be replaced. 4. Some underfloor structure, which was not inspected, may have to be replaced. ON of Cuperti»o TO: John A. Busto, Chief Building Inspector DATE: Oct. 9, 1974 FROM: H. A. Belke, Plumbing Inspector SUBJECT: Fire Damage at 10380 Castine Ave. Owner: Peter Jones Judging from the condition of the fiberglass tub and shower enclosure, the fire appeared to have burned down from the attic area through the wall to the underfloor area through the PVC vent and waste lines. The heat was so intense that it melted the solder from the joints in the copper water lines. The fire also burned through the floor of the furnace compartment. Apparently, the ceiling of the furnace compartment was not sheetrocked, and the burning shingles fell into the compartment, setting the floor on fire and burning through. I recommend that the following items be replaced: 1. A complete drainage, waste and vent system. 2. Water and gas lines 3. Fiberglass tub and shower enclosure 4. Water heater 5. A complete new heating system. IV County of Santa Clara California 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 INVESTIGHON REPORT Office o7 the Fire Marshal 140 Hamline Street San Jose, California 95110 299-2041 Area Code 408 REPORT NO. Fr74/5-181 ALARM NO. 7615 FIRE DEPT ID INCIDENT NO F7.45Tw DATE PRE'2 POT 71 EXPOSURE NO TIME MONTH DAY YEAR DAY COUNTY DIST JURISDICTION 4 3 0 O 5 Plastic CODE 0 3 11 3 1,o1 0 617 2,31 4 COQE ,4 OF FIRE lCIT� CEN CEN/cu LOCA TION MAIM AVENUES SMOKE SPREAD 0 7 VIOLATION Castine Avenue, Cupertino --- OCCUPANT NAME ALARM PETER BORTON JONES (dob 10/27/30) SOURCE TEL BOX PFAS VERBAL RADIO OTHER ADDRESS ROOM APT. NO. CITY ZIP TELEPHONE NO. 10380 Castine Avenue Cupertino _-- ICA L SACK) 3k-4350 X5583 OWNER NAME ADDRESS CITY ZIP TELEPHONE NO Occupant --- --- MANAGER NAME ADDRESS CITY ZIP TELEPHONE NO B. PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION CODE 1 TYPE OF INCIDENT 1 Building fire F7.45Tw DATE PRE'2 POT 71 CODE PROPERTY CLASSIFICA'ION JC014PLEX) CODE PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION IINDIVIDIIAL) 4 1 1 1 Dwelling DISCOVERED 9Y Occupant REPORTED BY10402 Chisholm Avenue, uper in0 Y!RS. JACKIE GALLAGHER, TP 257-6647 RES ONS•BLE,S; SUSPECTS ACTION TAKEN Referred to Cupertino Building Department F. AREA. MATERIALS & SMOKE SPREAD CODE AREA OF ORIGIN 4 7 Garage CODE TYPE OF MATERIAL FIRST 16NITED 4 5 Plastic CODE FORM OF MATERIAL FIRST IGNITED 6 1 Electrical insulation COUE MAIM AVENUES SMOKE SPREAD 0 7 1 Horizontal openings C. PROPERTY TYPE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT —T FLC STATE COUNTY CITY DISTRICT FOREIGN OTNEP rg Zn ?n an =n bn 7n en CODE STPUCTURE. 7UILOING OR VEHICLE - PROPERTY TYPE SUILOI NG NO. STORIES 1 1 Building, single occupancy 11 I 1212 STRUCTURE. BUILDING OR VEHICLE - CONSTRUCTION TYPE EXT HALL INT. WALT. FLOOR -ROOF FIRE RATED I I-� 2 C� 1 a �1 4 C� 1 G 6 CF2 Xt I 7 r_, R F. L0C:ATION & CAUSE CODE LEVEL OF ORIGIN 1 1 0 1 j Ground floor CODE SOURCE OF HEA CAUSI4,G IGN1T Ov lu Loose connector Tor aminum wiring 4 9 T CODE FORM OF HEAT CAUSING IGNITION 2 51 Arc from faulty contact CODE ACT OR OIAISSION CAUSING IGNITION 5 4 1 Short circuit and ground fault G. SPREAD OF FIRE CODE MAIN AVENUES FIRE SPREAD 0 1 Ceiling and attic spaces CODE TYPE MATERIAL CAUSING SPREAD 6 3 Finished lumber CODE FORM MATERIAL CAUSING SPREAD 1 7 Structural members CODE ACT OR OMISSION CAUSING SPREAD 5 4 Short circuit and ground vault 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 J. MISCELLANEOUS FIREFIGHTER I CIVILIA45 PHOTOS FOLDER AGENCIES NOTIFIED 1 N0. IN=URED N0. OF DEATHS N0. INJURED N0. OF DEATHS yes --- Cupertino BID, 10/7/74 DATE/TIME INVESTIGATED 'NVESTIGATED BY 2 10/6/74, 0430 hours I DFM Willis F. Remily ` /DFh1 IRu s--- Kuebel INSURANCE: Structure - Vigilant Ins. Co., policy #51256626, effective 5/3l 74; agency - Tittle & Jones, 2500 E1 Camino Real, Palo Alto, TP 325-4433. COVERAGE: $40,000 for structure and $20,000 for contents. VEHICLES: Chubb -Pacific Lndemnity Groin, San Jose, agent - Diane Bonds, TP 371 -8380 - DAMAGED AND DESTROYED VEHICLES: 1) 1950 VW sedan, license #CGD664, 2) 1957 Karmann Ghia, license #BGS345, 3) 1958 Porsche Roadster, license #CGR542 - all property of MR. JONES, 4) Formula 'IV", owner - CLAUS T. WIEBE, 3492 Bryant Street, Palo Alto, TP 493-5227• PERSONS INTERVIE ID: 1. OWNER 2. R/P MR. SHEL SCHUMAKER, 10350 Castine Avenue, Cupertino, TP 257-7096 MRS. AUDREY CRETA, 10391 Castine Avenue, Cupertino, TP 257-9720 R_ WK - r;1r �IFm�I cc: Central Fire District; Cupertino Building Department TO RECORDS CENTER - 2 YFAP. 6785 REV 4/74 ��LiIY An Equal Opportunity Employer DESTROY - 10 YEARS F-74/5-181 Alarm No. 7615 Page 2 SUMMARY 10/6/74 1515 hours. I arrived at the scene and made an inspection of the entire structure. The dwelling is a two-story, single family dwelling containing four bedrooms (two on the first floor. ---two on the second floor), living room, dining room, family room, kitchen, utility room, and two and one-half baths. It is of wood frame construction with a shingle roof. I observed that the roof and concealed attic spaces suffered almost total destruction in the fire. Ceilings in various rooms and hallways throughout the house had collapsed, and the fire had extended vertically via plastic vent and sewer piping into interior wall spaces. A visual inspection of charred structural members underneath the house revealed that the fire had extended to this area via a 4 inch plastic sewer pipe that had been supported in a horizontal position a few inches from the bottom of the subflooring. Recently plastic type piping has been installed in certain areas of dwellings in place of the more conventional but expensive iron piping. Plastic piping as used for plumbing and venting purposes in dwellings is highly flammable, possesses a very low ignition temperature and once ignited, a fire will rapidly extend over its entire length. Adjacent wood structural members will, of course, become involved. In addition to spreading fire into interior wall spaces under the subflooring and other inaccessible areas, burning plastic tubing emits high concentrations of carbon monoxide and voluminous amounts of highly toxic black smoke. Fire fighting difficulties in such an environment rapidly become compounded. I observed where the fire had burned through the ceiling over the forced -air heater enclosure on the first floor, dropped down, and had burned completely through the floor in two places adjacent to the forced -air heater. All evidence indicated the fire originated in the attached garage, northwest corner of the structure. Inspection revealed, and the owner subsequently confirmed, the garage had contained (in addition to the two vehicles previously described) quantities of magnesium in various forms, flammable liquids, scrap lumber, rubber tires, workbenches, paper, books, boxes, and other combustible material. The fuel loading in the garage was in much greater amounts than is normally encountered in residential fires. There were three electrical wall outlets in the garage, and I examined each one. No evidence was found showing that any electric cords had been plugged into the outlets at the time the fire occurred. There was no connected electrical appliances or other mechanical equipment, either portable or stationary, connected to any of the outlets. Three fluorescent light fixtures were found on the floor; however, the owner reported, and examination confirmed, that these units had not been plugged in. Heat and flame patterns indicating direction of fire flow and degree of physical destruction revealed the fire originated in the front (west) quarter of the garage. At this point intense further examination placed the specific point of origin at the northwest corner of the garage in the immediate area where the 2 inch diameter rigid steel conduit housing the main electrical wiring pierces the concrete foundation and mud sill and extends 45-1/2 inches to the bottom of the meter box attached to the exterior of the garage. /[���✓ (� //j fill, =�f ��� DFM Russell W. Kuebel RWK:dk It F-74/5-181 Alarm No. 7615 Page 3 I observed that the wooden eave overhang located directly over the northwest corner of the garage had been destroyed in the fire with increasing degrees of destruction to structural members of the eave as it extended in a southerly direction to the opposite end (south) of the garage. Paint damage to the Volkswagon parked in the driveway on the northwest corner of the garage was also most severe closest to the point of origin. Flame patterns on the Volkswagon,parked adjacent to the one just described, also indicated progressive damage most severe on the north front side of the vehicle. The fire blocking and top double plate of the garage in the northwest corner had been entirely consumed in the fire. Similar destruction did not occur on the southwest front corner of the garage. All evidence at this point clearly indicated that the fire originated in the northwest corner of the garage, spread to the readily available combustible material in all areas of the garage, burned through the garage roof, and extended into the attic spaces of the dwelling itself through exterior siding, and in some locations, burned down through the roof into other rooms of the house. A closed solid core door from the rear (east end) to the utility room prevented the fire from extending into the ground floor of the house in this location. I found the locking mechanism to the wood double garage door in the debris at the front of the garage. An examination revealed that the garage door had been closed and unlocked at the time the fire occurred. The interior of the garage was protected with sheetrock only at the places adjacent to the dwelling itself. Approximately four-fifths of the garage interior was not protected with sheetrock. The ceiling of the garage was also unprotected. It should be noted that the garage was 19 ft. wide by approximately 30 ft. in length. I examined the 2 inch diameter rigid steel conduit pipe where it pierced the 2 in. by 4 in. wood mud sill in the northwest corner of the garage. The mud sill on both sides of this conduit had been completely destroyed in the fire. There was no other place in the garage where the mud sill had been completely burned through. I examined the conduit where it had pierced the mud sill and observed where eight holes had burned through the metal. These holes had blown through the interior of the conduit to the exterior adjacent to the mud sill and other pieces of scrap lumber that the owner subsequently reported he had stored in that location. One of these holes was 7-1/4 in. long by approximately 1/4 in. wide, and the others were of various smaller sizes. One of the holes had actually blown out through the concrete facing on the exterior foundation below the meter box. The only possible way these holes could have been produced was as a direct result of massive electrical arcing, sparking, and short-circuiting occurring on the interior of the conduit. Arcing and sparking of this magnitude will produce temperatures well in excess of 3,000 degrees. A visual inspection of the interior and exterior of the electric panel box revealed physical evidence indicating a virtual total blowout of all interior component parts including the main circuit breakers, aluminum wire connectors, and neutral bar. The interior and exterior of the metal box itself indicated that extremely high temperatures were produced within the interior of the meter box. The physical condition of the interior and exterior of the meter box is entirely inconsistent with a fire originating on the exterior with flames impinging on the box itself. Evidence at this point indicated that an electrical malfunction had occurred on the interior of the meter box and had been reflected to the wiring on the interior of the conduit where massive electrical shorting had also occurred in addition to the short-circuiting that occurred on the interior of the meter box itself. RWK:dk i DFM Russell W. Kuebel F-74/5-181 Alarm No. 7615 Page 4 I eliminated any other possible source of ignition in the immediate area of origin including,but not limited to, careless smoking, a burning candle, an accidental explosion, or the possibility of a deliberately set fire. I examined the fuse box located in the southeast corner of the garage, and although fire destruction was extremely severe on the interior of the fuse box, visible evidence indicated that all of the fuses were in the "On" position. Considering that all evidence at this point indicated the electrical malfunction occurred in the meter box itself, the house fuses all being in the "On" position would not be significant. I observed that the clock attached to the range in the kitchen had stopped at 3:21. It can reasonably be assumed that this was 3:21 a.m. STATEMENTS: 10/6/74 - 1630 hours. I interviewed MR. PETER JONES, the owner of the property. MR. JONES is employed as an electrical engineer at PHILCO-FORD CORPORATION, Palo Alto. 14R. JONES confirmed the location of various items and articles that had been located in the garage. He reported that in the northwest corner of the garage adjacent to the 2 inch conduit leading to the electric meter box, he had stacked in a vertical position numerous pieces of wood and lumber in various sizes including 1 in. by 1 in., 1 in. by 4 in., 2 in by 4 in., and 4 in by 4 in. plus other pieces of scrap wood. He worked on automobiles and racing cars as a hobby and had numerous tools and vehicle spare parts stored in the garage. On the evening prior to the fire his sixteen year old son, MICHAEL, was the last person in the garage. Sometime between 1930 hours and 2000 hours, MICHAEL had opened the garage door and placed his bicycle in the front portion, south side of the garage. He then closed the garage door down but did not lock it. MR. JONES reported that he had not worked in the garage for at least one week because he had not been feeling well. His eight year old daughter, SUSAN, had gone to bed shortly before 2300 hours on 10/5/74, and MICHAEL had gone to bed at approximately 2300 hours. MR. JONES had placed a load of laundry in the electric dryer located in the utility room at approximately 2300 hours just prior to going to bed. The drying cycle was 90 minutes, indicating that the electric dryer should have shut off at approximately 0030 hours, 10/6/74. Both of his children slept in the bedrooms located on the second story, and he was asleep in the master bedroom located on the first floor. He was awakened by the sounds of "popping and crackling", and when he ran to the living room window and looked out, he observed flames coming out from the front of the garage. The fire had not yet broken through the garage roof. He ran upstairs, woke his children up, and removed them outside to a place of safety. He then tried to use the telephone to notify the fire department; however, the line was dead. He also mentioned that at the time he woke up, all of the electric power was off in the house. He then ran outside and clearly observed that all of the flames appeared to be concentrated in the front portion of the garage and were extending to the exterior over the front eave area of the garage. He then rolled both of his Volkswagons parked in front of the garage down into the street. MR. JONES mentioned that in the past few months, the lights in the house had dimmed on a few occasions; however, they never went completely off, and no circuit breakers were tripped. It should be noted that subsequent to obtaining this information I learned that a dimming of the electric lights can sometimes be attributed to a loose neutral wire connected at the meter box. RWK:dk DFM Russell W. Kuebel F-74/5-181 Alarm No. 7615 Page 5 10/6/74 - 1700 hours. I interviewed MR. SHEL SCHUMAKER, the occupant of the residence located on the south side of the JONES home. MR. SCHUMAKER told me that he was in bed at the time the fire occurred. He was awakened by the sound of crackling and glass breaking. When he looked out his window, he observed that the entire front side of MR. JONES' garage was on fire. The fire had not yet broken through the garage roof. He ran outside and tried to help MR. JONES in whatever way he could prior to the arrival of the fire department. He heard no unusual noises prior to his discovery of the fire. He had no further information. 10/6/74 - 2000 hours. I contacted the Reporting Party, MRS. JACKIE GALLAGHER, by telephone at her residence. It should be noted that the GALLAGHER residence is located on Chisholm Avenue, the first street west of the JONES residence. Their home is slightly elevated from the JONES' house and is roughly in a direct line of sight in that the back of the GALLAGHER residence faces the front of the JONES residence. MRS. GALLAGHER told me that she and her husband were asleep in their back bedroom when they were awakened by the sound of glass breaking and the crackling sounds of the fire. They looked out their bedroom window and observed large amounts of flame coming from the direction of the JONES residence. She immediately called the fire department. She had no additional information. On 10/7/74, I interviewed MRS. AUDREY CREW who lives directly across the street from the JONES residence. She had been asleep in the rear bedroom of her house when she was awakened by the sound of an "explosion." She got out of bed and observed the fire burning over the entire front portion of the JONES' garage door. The fire was extending up over the eaves but had not yet broken through the garage roof. She also observed a Sheriff's Office Patrol Unit parked in the middle of the street in front of the burning house and assumed that the officer had already radioed information of the fire. She heard nothing unusual prior to being awakened by the sound of what she described as an "explosion". It should be noted that the sounds of "explosions", glass breaking, and other unusual noises are entirely consistent with a large fire burning in a structure. These sounds are produced by hot expanding gases, exploding aerosol containers, breaking windows, and falling debris. 10/7/74 - 0930 hours. I arrived at the JONES residence and continued my inspection of the burned area with particular emphasis at the point of origin. Shortly after my arrival, MR. ED MURPHY, Cupertino Electrical Inspector, also arrived on the scene. At this time, a possible hazardous condition was noted at the JONES residence in the,form of an extremely long ground wire originating at the meter box and extending up the northwest corner of the garage over the entire front portion of the garage and terminating near floor level on a copper water pipe in the southwest corner of the garage. The water pipe in this location did not go to ground but instead ran the entire length of the garage and went into the house. It later terminated in an iron pipe on the southwest corner of the dwelling at least 75 ft. from the panel box. At this point the iron pipe penetrated the ground and extended toward the street in a westerly direction. It is considered safe practice to terminate a ground wire as close as possible to the electric meter box. At this time it was confirmed that the electrical service to the house was 220 volts, 100 amperes. Four conductors of #4 A.C. aluminum 7 -strand wiring had been connected to the meter box. The entire remaining contents and debris of the meter box were examined at this time, and the possibility of loose aluminum wiring connectors was readily apparent. RWK:dk DF14 Russell W. Kuebel F-74/5-181 Alarm No. 7615 Page 6 It could be assumed that if a problem had developed at the neutral conductor in the panel box, it would have tried to go to ground through the normal channel as previously described. If the ground was faulty or ineffective, the neutral wire would continue to heat in excessive and progressive degrees until the plastic type insulation on the wiring coming into the panel box through the underground conduit shorted out directly against the surface of the conduit itself. This situation would have resulted in massive arcing and sparking, blowing holes through the conduit and immediately igniting any adjacent combustible material. At this time no other possible source of ignition could be found. The physical evidence contained in the meter box was secured as evidence. Numerous photographs were taken of the entire scene. 10/8/74 - 1200 hours. I met three other private fire investigators at the scene, including a recognized electrical wiring expert. All possibilities were considered, and as a result of our thorough inspection and examination of the scene, it was determined that the only possible cause for the fire could have been an electrical malfunction originating in the electric meter box. The electrical current,seeking a path to ground, was unable to overcome the resistance in the lengthy ground wiring and returned to the source in the meter box. The wiring and wiring insulation immediately began to overheat, eventually melted off the insulation, and the bare wires grounded on the interior of the conduit creating the massive arcing and sparking as previously described. It was confirmed at this time that the dwelling was approximately five years old and that MR. JONES was the original owner. He had not experienced the light dimming problem until the past few months. 10/8/74 - 1500 hours. An intense examination of all of the remaining parts found in the meter box, including the aluminum wiring connectors, pieces of the wiring itself, and main circuit breakers, was undertaken. Definite signs of short-circuiting were observed in the aluminum wiring connectors. It was confirmed at this time that the fire did, in fact, originate in the main electrical panel box. The electrical power tried to seek a path via the main ground that terminated approximately 75 ft. away from the panel box. The resistance could not be overcome, and the problem continued to progress within the panel box itself. Massive short-circuiting occurred within the box itself and the 2 in. rigid steel conduit at the mud sill level of the garage. Readily combustible material located immediately adjacent to the massive arcing and sparking in the conduit ignited immediately and eventually spread throughout the interior of the garage. It is assumed at this time that the entire situation was probably initiated as a result of the drain on the electric service as a result of the electric dryer that was in use prior to the fire. Physical evidence indicates that the fire probably burned for a period of approximately twenty or thirty minutes prior to its discovery. Evidence indicates that the problem could have been prevented in two ways: (1) By insuring that the electrical system was properly and adequately grounded according to normal safe practices. (2) By insuring that the metal connectors for the stranded aluminum wiring were adequately tight. It is generally accepted that loose connectors for stranded aluminum wiring are one of its major deficiencies. RWK:dk DFM Russell W. Kuebel cc: Central Fire District Cupertino Building Department SUPPLEMENT TO: PERSON INTERVIEWED: 1. PETER JONES - Owner/Occupant F-74/5-181 Alarm No. 7615 Sunday, October 6, 1974 - 0430 hours. At the request of Central Fire District, I responded to investigate a fire which occurred at 10380 Castine Avenue, Cupertino. When I arrived at the scene, I contacted Central Fire District's Battalion Chief HUGH TURNER who was in charge of fire fighting operations. Central Fire District's firemen were in the process of extinguishing a fire in a two-story, single family dwelling located on the east side of Castine Avenue near the intersection of Rumford Avenue within the city limits of Cupertino. The temperature was in the mid-50 degree range, and there was no appreciable wind at that time of the morning. The dwelling was approximately five years old and was of conventional construction, that is a Type V (combustible) --- N (Nonrated) ---0 (Ordinary) which was a wood shingle roof ---S (Stucco) exterior siding. At the time of my arrival the entire roof of the garage which juts out from the front of the house nearest the street was completely burned away. The fire had extended into the dwelling part of the building through communicating openings from the garage into the dwelling part. Although the garage was loaded with debris from the fire, such as: sections of the roof, etc., I could see that there were numerous combustible items such as: vehicle tires; two vehicles, one a 1958 Porsche Speedster, the other a Formula V race car; the remains of large stand-up roll type tool boxes; bicycles; and many other combustible and noncombustible items. The burn patterns in the garage at that time indicated that the fire probably started near the front of the garage as this is where the greatest amount of damage was. This was further substantiated by the fact that the damage and burn patterns and depth of char on wood surfaces diminished as it went towards the dwelling. The entire garage door (the main garage door) was completely burned away. However, from the position of the metal arms that control the door, it appeared that it was in the closed position at the time of the fire. Burn patterns in the front part of the garage also indicated there was heavier destruction in the northwest corner area where the electrical service came in from the street. There was a utility junction box at that point, and then the electrical service went from the top of that box overhead through a conduit to the circuit breaker panel on the other side of the garage. The electrical utility service was brought to the house via underground conduit. There were two automobiles parked in the driveway facing the garage. The burn patterns on these automobiles, which suffered moderate heat and smoke damage, indicated the fire came from the north side of the garage towards the south. In other words, there was more damage on the north edge of the automobiles, and the degree of damage diminished as it went in a southward direction. A thorough search of the garage area at that time failed to reveal any indication that the fire was of incendiary origin. Contacted MR. JONES, the Owner/Occupant, at the scene. He and his two children were home at the time of the fire. His wife was recuperating from recent surgery, and because he had a cold, she was advised not to stay at the house and consequently was staying with friends. He went to bed at approximately 2300 hours on Saturday night, October 5, 1974, and his son, age 13, and daughter, age 8, had gone to bed before that. He was awakened by popping noises, and upon looking out the windows, he saw flames coming out of the front of the garage. He alerted his children, and they managed to get out of the house safely. His hobby is working on automobiles and race cars. The Porsche belonged to him and had been in the garage for several years. The Formula V race car, WFR:dk cc: Central Fire District Cupertino Building Department DFM Willis V. Remily F-74/5-181 Alarm No. 7615 SUPPLEMENT - Page 2 which is a small vehicle powered by a Volkswagon engine, belonged to a friend of his, and he was working on the vehicle getting it ready for races. The Formula V race car had a fiberglass body and was located near the northwest corner of the garage. The Porsche was in the southeast part. He had not done any work on either of the vehicles for at least one week prior to the fire. No one uses the garage except himself and his children whc store their bicycles in the garage. He figured the Porsche was worth between $6,000 and $8,000, and the Formula V race car was worth approximately $3,000. He also had a great many expensive precision tools and other equipment in the garage. There were also some other internal combustion engines, some of them containing various amounts of magnesium including some of the wheels which were stored in the garage. He kept most or all of his flammables in locked garbage cans at the side of the house. I did see these cans, and they were strapped and locked. Both he and his wife are non-smokers, and he does not believe that either of his children smoke. The last time anyone was in the garage was when his son put his bicycle away early Saturday evening. He was sure that no one was in the garage after that. MR. JONES is an electrical engineer at the Philco-Ford Company. He stated that to his knowledge he did not have any enemies or anyone mad enough at him to have reason or want to burn his home. He has had a few neighbors who were a little concerned with his avocation but would not be mad enough to burn his house. One of the neighbors who was a little upset about it had moved away several weeks before the fire occurred. The follow-up investigation was performed by DFM RUSSELL KUEBEL of the FMO. See his report for additional details as to the origin and cause of the fire. Willis F. Remily WFR:dk cc: Central Fire District Cupertino Building Department