Family identifies suicide victim who started Tassajara Fire.

Steve McAlpine has been identified as the man who committed suicide on Sept. 19, and whose death was confirmed to be the cause of the destructive Tassajara Fire.

"The McAlpine family suffered an unthinkable, unexpected and tragic loss of our father, Steve McAlpine, due to suicide resulting from his long and painful struggle with mental illness. It was a horrific series of event that has left out family in shock and utter disbelief at what we are still trying to process," his family said in a press release.

The Coroner's Office would not confirm the family's identification but did indicate there was no erroneous information in the press release. It continues to await dental records and other findings before officially confirming. The complete autopsy report is expected next week.

The family adds their "hearts are with all those affected in connection to this tragic loss," and add they commend firefighters, public officials and volunteers for their dedication and response to "this tragedy in our community."

Steve and Jill McAlpine owned The Travel Bag in the Carmel Crossroads for years, vending upscale items handy for travelers like Bluetooth speakers and other tech gadgets.

The pair closed the shop last fall and retired.

Steve McAlpine leaves behind no paper trail that would suggest any financial difficulties that might have contributed to distress.

Zero evidence of bankruptcy or related troubles emerged from a Weekly investigation.

He had one traffic ticket on his record.

A representative for the family declined to elaborate on the "series of events" that led to the tragedy or the nature of the mental illness with which he was reportedly struggling.

Weekly Assistant Editor Sara Rubin crafted a summary of the week's fiery and at-times bizarre events, "Hazy Truths: Locals and authorities clash at Tassajara Fire, and probe for an explanation of the source."

Those include reliable reports that McAlpine somehow lit himself on fire in his vehicle, then ran into the surrounding brush, triggering the wildfire.

Mark C. Anderson and Sara Rubin contributed to this report.