Of all the strange things that happened in the Tassajara Fire, including an older resident reportedly socking a firefighter and a heroic horse rescuer getting arrested under suspicion for DUI, the strangest happened at its very start.
That was when Steve McAlpine, retired owner of the Travel Bag in Carmel Crossroads, reportedly ignited himself in his car to end his life, then evacuated and spread the fire to the highly flammable surrounding brush.
His family confirmed his identity about an hour before The Monterey County Coroner's Office did, saying mental illness played a major factor in his demise.
The coroner's confirmation added this:
Type of Death: Suicide
Coroner Case #: 20150839
Investigator: Detective Al Martinez
Date/Time: 9/19/2015 at 1700
Location: Tassajara Road
1. Victim: Stephen McAlpine
Address: Monterey, CA
Age: 66
Sex: Male
Race: White
The full autopsy is expected within 1-2 weeks.
For more on how the Coroner's Office deals with Monterey County's unexpected deaths, check out "Dissecting How and Why We Die" and "Death’s Detectives: Exploring death investigation by way of the guys and gals on the ground."
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