PORT ANGELES — A 35-year-old man who died after he was trapped inside a shed that caught fire early Wednesday morning has been identified as Thomas Bornson of Port Angeles.
The cause of the pre-dawn blaze has not been determined.
Investigators suspect an extension cord as one possible origin, said Ron Cameron, chief criminal deputy for the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
A person driving by the Gales Addition property at about 3 a.m. saw flames coming from the shed, which was in the backyard of a home, and called 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers, Cameron said.
Bornson was the son of one of the residents at the home at the corner of East Pioneer Road and Baker Street, Cameron said.
Bornson was known to use the shed as a hobby shop, Cameron said.
Sheriff’s Office investigators have not determined why Bornson was unable to escape from the 12-foot-by-12-foot building, Cameron said.
Cameron said one of the possibilities being investigated is that Bornson fell asleep while working in the shed and woke to the fire already engulfing the building.
He speculated that the smoke and fire could have caused Bornson to be disoriented enough that he could not find the door.
“None of us can fathom the panic of waking up to a fire,” he said.
An autopsy is planned to establish the cause of death, said Mark Nichols, chief deputy prosecuting attorney for the office that also serves as the Coroner’s Office.
The shed was not wired for power, but there was an extension cord providing power to the shed, investigators said.
Cameron said the power cord is a focus of the investigation, and a fault in it may have sparked the fire.
Family members living on the property woke up and tried to get to Bornson, but the fire was too intense for them to get inside, Cameron said.
“The fire burned hot enough that at least one neighboring residence was damaged by the heat,” he said.
Cameron said family members told investigators that the shed had cedar shake siding, which recently had been oiled.
“It is known that cedar is a good conductor of fire,” Cameron said, adding that dry conditions may have contributed to the blaze.
Cameron said firefighters from Clallam County Fire District No. 2 were able to move an old-type outboard motor fuel can that was stored near the shed before it ignited.
Clallam County deputies trained in fire investigations are being utilized to possibly determine the cause and origin of the fire, while detectives continue to talk with family members and area residents that may have witnessed anything that could help in the investigation.
Anyone with information that may assist detectives in this case is asked to call the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office at 360-417-2459.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
