Deadly Baker City fire ruled accidental
By Joe Hathaway on Monday, April 29th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – A fire that ripped through a house and killed an elderly man in March has been deemed accidental, according to Baker City Police.
On March 13 at about 9:00pm, the Baker City Fire Department and Baker City Police were dispatched to a report of a house fire at 2235 Ohio Street in Baker City, Oregon.
Dispatch received multiple calls from neighbors reporting a fully engulfed home with explosions going off.
Fire crews from Baker City, Baker Rural, Keating Rural, Greater Bowen Valley, Haines and North Powder responded and extinguished the fire.
83-year-old Charles Howard Cree, the sole occupant of the house, was found dead inside.
Police Chief Ty Duby says the medical examiner listed Cree’s cause of death as smoke inhalation.
Duby also says investigators ruled the fire as accidental, but could not find a specific cause.
“There were a couple things they could not rule out. There were some electrical issues, as well as a fireplace that had some combustible materials around it,” said Duby. “We do know it was nothing criminal.”
