A big Tassajara Fire suicide question gets answered, but plenty more lurk.

The super moon would glow fiercely after nightfall, but a week after the Tassajara Fire roared through Cachagua Valley, the lunar effect was plenty intense during the day.

The gray crust of soil crunched underfoot. Hillsides resembled cratered moon rock. Trees stood like ghosts, their bark burnt to ash. (For photos and the longer version of this story, visit www.mcweekly.com.)

Not too far down the valley, the jays, oak titmouses and squirrels chirp, chatter and squeak. Here the quiet matches the bleakness of the viewscape.

The heavy CalFire vehicles make up half of the traffic. They rumble past where Cachagua resident Lance (“LT”) Thompson and his wife, Jenni, first happened upon the fire, at the 10-mile marker on Cachagua Road, when it was about as big as a third of a football field’s end zone.

By Sunday they had returned, and were enjoying brunch with their daughter Georgia Olive and her grandmother, Sally Balesteri, at Cachagua General Store.

Balesteri was there to deliver a $1,400 check to the Cachagua Fire, an amount raised by the staff and customers of il vecchio Italian restaurant where she works, and where 25 percent of Sept. 23’s receipts went to the volunteer group.

That same night the Cachagua General Store was awash with well-wishers as Chef Michael Jones and company hosted the local firemen and whoever lost their homes for a free feast.

Other attendees were asked to donate to a relief fund. After Jones circulated a hat, they counted more than $4,500.

Also on hand: County Supervisor Dave Potter, Office of Emergency Services support staff and financial advisors to help those who lost their homes.

Like CalFire Chief Mark Edria, who served as incident commander during the first shift of fire response, says, “It’s a pretty resilient community.”

Some healing, however, will take longer to build momentum.

The family of Steve McAlpine released a statement Friday about an hour before the Monterey County Coroner announced his body was at the scene of the fire and the cause of death was suicide.

“The 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 events that has left our family in utter disbelief,” the announcement read.

Kristina Chavez Wyatt of Farmhouse Communications, who is representing the family, declined to elaborate on the events that led to the tragedy or the nature of the mental illness.

Later she adds they’re doing their best with the grieving process, caring for his surviving family and arranging a memorial, and want to focus as much as possible on how to address mental illness better as a society.

“They feel that things could’ve been better for Steve and that could’ve helped stave off the ultimate end,” she says. “They want to help other families in dealing with illness and preventing these things.”

The family is also encouraging friends and loved ones to donate – and donating themselves – to the newly established Tassajara Fire Fund, administered by Community Foundation for Monterey County at no administrative cost (see p. 6).

A Weekly investigation turned up no evidence of financial distress. McAlpine had one traffic ticket on his record. He and his wife Jill McAlpine owned The Travel Bag in the Carmel Crossroads, vending upscale gadgets for travelers like Bluetooth speakers. The shop closed last fall.

The pain involved with self-immolation points to the extremity of McAlpine’s illness. Understanding why he would choose to set himself on fire presents a daunting – and haunting – challenge.

CalFire Mark Edria is among those grasping for answers. “I’ve been doing this for 26 years now, and it’s one of those head scratchers,” he says.

How the family and investigators were able to categorize it a suicide also remains unclear.

Edria was there, but referred the Weekly to CalFire Investigator Catey Trenner.

She deferred to Monterey County Sheriff Det. Sgt. Terry Kaiser, who refused to comment.

That leaves Edria with the last word: “It’s just a horrible, horrible situation.”

MARK C. ANDERSON is the Weekly’s managing editor. Follow @MontereyMCA on Twitter