Published:Monday, February 11, 2008 10:54 AM PST
Serving the South Coast of Oregon

Man dead in Coos Bay trailer fire
Monday, February 11, 2008 10:54 AM PST

COOS COUNTY — Local law enforcement officials are investigating the suspected suicide of a man whose body was found inside of a charred single-wide trailer Saturday in Bunker Hill.

According to Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier, at about 8:52 a.m., crews from the Coos Bay Fire Department responded to a fire call at 63610 Andrews Road. Once there, they found a trailer fully engulfed in smoke and flames, said Coos Bay Fire Department Chief Stan Gibson.

There were no hydrants in the area of the trailer.

“We laid out of over 1,500 feet of hose,” he said.

Crews put the fire out in 15 minutes.

At least three engines were called to the scene. Water hoses to put out the blaze stretched down the length of Andrews Road to the trailer, which is located behind the Jehovah’s Witnesses South Congregation building.

Crews put the fire out relatively quickly, the DA said. Inside, they found the body of the man who investigators believe committed suicide and officials found a possible bullet hole in the door frame, Frasier said.

The fire at the home was definitely arson, Frasier said. Gibson confirmed that.

“The fire did not kill him,” Frasier said.

While officers from the Coos Bay Police, Coos County Sheriff’s Department deputies and an Oregon State Police trooper watched, fire crews removed pieces of material from a window of the light-blue trailer, throwing them on the ground below.

At about 9:45 a.m., a green SUV barreled through police tape cordoning off the scene and went behind the trailer. Officers rushed to the car and quickly ushered it to the other side of the crime scene where the driver, a woman, was questioned by an officer from Coos Bay Police.

According to the Coos County Assessor’s Office Web site, the trailer is owned by Gordon and Patricia Scott of Coos Bay. Gordon Scott was on the scene, but declined to comment. Neighbors said the home is a rental property.

Frasier did to release the name of the man until authorities could notify his next of kin. An investigation by the Sheriff’s Office is continuing, he said.


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