Hair Salon Fire Origin Remains Uncertain

Ateam of fire investigators that includes two engineers, a dog trainedto sniff out flammable liquids and a private detective continues to digfor the cause of a blaze that destroyed the expansive Medford home andsalon of Thom Martin last week.

Despiteprogress in finding and mapping the location of major appliances thatcould have caused an electrical fire, investigators say they still arefar from drawing any conclusion about what sparked the fire at Mr.Thom's.

"This is day five of theinvestigation, but we are really no farther than we were on Friday,"Medford fire inspector John Patterson said.

Investigators are asking for the public's help in the form of any photographs from the early minutes of the fire, he said.

"We want to see what was going on behind the house," Patterson said.

Whilenews crews documented the later part of the blaze, Patterson hopesearly witnesses might have snapped pictures from Voorhies Road orneighboring vineyards that will reveal the fire's early behavior.People can bring photos to the fire department office in the LausmannAnnex, 200 S. Ivy St., Medford.

On Monday twoengineers from Portland came to study the potential for appliances,particularly a glass-fronted display refrigerator and otherrefrigerators near the back deck, to have started Thursday's fire.Martin pointed to them as a possible cause.

Theteam has located all major appliances in the nearly 8,000 square feetof charred debris left when the structure consisting of four homes andnumerous decks and porches burned, Patterson said. It mapped thelocations with photos and diagrams, looking for the telltale signs of afire's origin.

"We need as much expertise and experience as we can get," Patterson said of the growing fire investigation team.

Theteam now includes two Medford fire inspectors, two Oregon State Policefire investigators, two Portland-based engineers with expertise inelectrical appliances, an insurance company fire inspector and aprivate investigator also hired by an insurance company. A dog trainedin detecting flammable liquids came from Yakima, Wash., to assist.Patterson said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms providesfunding to train dogs with the requirement that they be available tohelp neighboring jurisdictions. Oregon currently doesn't have such adog.

Patterson said that in every fire,investigators must proceed both as if it were an accident and as if itwere arson, so no matter what they ultimately find, they will havecareful documentation from the beginning to support that conclusion.

Thecity has posted a security guard from Action Security at the property'sgate to keep people away from the potentially dangerous rubble andfield dozens of daily inquiries about Mr. Thom from his clients andfriends.

Martin, who was at the propertyMonday watering the 375 roses and other plants on the grounds so hewon't lose them to the summer heat, said he has fielded hundreds ofcalls from people, including some he has never met but who want to help.

Hesaid he wants to find a salon location so he can continue to serve hisclients and wants to buy a recreational vehicle so he can stay on theproperty he has owned since 1999. A borrowed RV was expected Mondayafternoon.

"I have a hard time looking at theremains of everything I had," he said, adding that he had troublesleeping as he bounced from place to place over the weekend, wanting tobe back on his property.

"I have lost everything," he said. "I don't have a razor to shave my head.

"I had a beautiful coffee pot in my bedroom so I could wake up to coffee each day and it's gone."

He said he was grateful for the help of friends and family who have given him clothes, shoes and money for necessities.

Hesaid that while the property was insured, the $4 million figureinvestigators had reported was liability insurance for a planned winetasting room.

"I didn't have that kind ofinsurance," he said, noting that many of his antiques and celebritycollectibles couldn't be replaced.

Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail aburke@mailtribune.com.