Crystal Falls Fire Investigation Continues

Investigation continues into the intense, fast-moving fire Monday night that destroyed a home on Tehachapi Court in Sonora and claimed the life of one person. A body was found in the rubble, and law enforcement officials are calling the burnt home and surrounding property a crime scene.

Evidence being gathered by state Department of Justice investigators at the Crystal Falls area home could shed some light on the fatal fire.

That death is being considered suspicious in nature by investigators.

Tuolumne County Sheriff´s spokesman Lt. John Steely says the home and surrounding lot is cordoned off as state and local law enforcement officers and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection investigators sift through the charred rubble.

The remains of the person found in the kitchen area of the home has been removed. Dental records will likely be used to determine the identity of the victim, belived to be resident Mike “Skip” Conley.

Steely says the two-story split level home collapsed into itself during the intense blaze, making the going slow and dangerous for investigators.

Two other juvenile occupants thought to be in the home at the time of the fire have been accounted for.