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.
Here is our earlier story:
Electrical cord led to shed that burned; man found dead inside
PORT ANGELES — A man died in a Gales Addition shed fire early Wednesday morning, the Clallam County sheriff said.
Clallam County Fire District No. 2 firefighters put out a fire in the shed reported at about 6 a.m. behind a home near the corner of Baker Street and East Pioneer Road.
The 12-foot-by-12-foot shed was engulfed when firefighters arrived, Sheriff Bill Benedict said, and the body of a man was found inside.
“We believe the death is as a result of the fire,” he said.
The Sheriff’s Office had not released the name of the man who died, but Benedict said that he was the adult son of a resident at the house where the shed was located.
Gales Addition is a development in the unincorporated area east of the Port Angeles city limit.
According to investigators, the shed was not wired for electricity but had a power source via an extension cord from the house.
“We do not think the fire is suspicious,” Benedict said.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire was accidental, and might have been related to an electrical fault, he said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
