By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
The small, tight community situated on the peak of Marshall Road was faced with a tragedy after two years of neighborhood strife. Across from the corner of Marshall Road and Marshall Way the single-family dwelling burned leaving one victim dead on Tuesday May 12 around noon.
The resident of the burned house, Darrell King, perished in the fire. According to the neighbors, he was not well liked and he was in the process of being evicted from the home..
By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
The small, tight community situated on the peak of Marshall Road was faced with a tragedy after two years of neighborhood strife. Across from the corner of Marshall Road and Marshall Way the single-family dwelling burned leaving one victim dead on Tuesday May 12 around noon.
The resident of the burned house, Darrell King, perished in the fire. According to the neighbors, he was not well liked and he was in the process of being evicted from the home..
He was reported to be a negative, and aggressive person who yelled often. The neighbors who lived around that home heard many altercations that took place at that address day and night. On the prior Monday, King was reported to be in an altercation with the landlord Richard Bonjorno, and had actually been physically shoving Bonjorno.
One neighbor, Gloria Moss who lives next door said, he was not well liked by anyone, and was aggressive to everyone. At one point she heard him threaten his wife. She said that on the morning of the fire he was actively destroying the contents of the house, he broke windows and at one point actually fell out of the window.
On the morning of the fire, a 911 call was placed due to King’s destructive behavior. Lt. Mario Zermeno, of the Alpine Sheriff’s Substation substantiated that the sheriff did visit this address on several occasions. The sheriff made three visits just prior to the fire breaking out on the previous Monday and Tuesday morning.
It was also mentioned by Moss, that King threatened to burn the house down, however the Sheriff did not hear this threat, and could not take preventative measures.
By the time the last call was made, because neighbors heard King’s threats and witnessed his erratic and destructive behavior, the sheriff arrived on scene but the home was already engulfed. The Alpine Fire District responded to this call as well and worked quickly, diligently and efficiently, containing the fire, preventing a eucalyptus tree from igniting and adding to the tragedy.
Previous new casts have stated that it was unclear who started the fire, but witnesses have said that King was the only person who was in the house at the time, as his wife was taken to the hospital early that morning due to illness. Also, witnesses have come forward to say that the fire could not have been ignited due to faulty electricity issues, as the electricity to the house had been shut off for several months.
This event is currently under sheriff’s investigation and as more information is known, The Alpine Sun will follow up.
