Coley Ave. Home Explosion

Power was shorted for a brief time to downtown residents and phone service was disrupted to a small number of homes and businesses.Neighbors reported that the roof of the house was lifted as high as nearby antennas before crashing down and sending debris across Coley Avenue.

Local fire crew and those from the county fire marshal's office spent until dark Monday searching the debris, while the Donalds, their family and a host of friends and neighbors helped to retrieve personal belongings and salvageable items from the wreckage. Much to firemen's and onlookers surprise, the Donald's dog managed to escape injury, but still missing and presumed dead, is 'Cavendish,' the couple's pet cat.

The Donalds purchased the 40-year old Coley home approximately two years ago and have been working to restore it since then. Following the blast, only fragments of the interior walls were left upright. Since then, fire crews have removed the walls and roof parts.

No estimate on the Donald's property, loss has yet been determined by Escalon Fire Chief Frank Silveira. Escalon Police Chief Jack Storne has provided patrol for the site until the Donalds, who are staying with family, are able to retrieve all of their possessions, and until the fire department has completed their investigation.

Fire Warden blames arsonist for blast

(Escalon Times February 15, 1984)

Even with much of the evidence destroyed, County Fire Warden Steve Thienes says his department has accumulated enough indications to say that the January 30 gas explosion that destroyed the Escalon home of Andrew and Caroline Donald was the result of arson. Two indications have lead investigators to believe that the blast was deliberately set, possibly by someone who wanted to cover-up a burglary.

According to Thienes' report, the pipeline connection to the living room's gas heater was missing, indicating that it had been removed allowing gas to escape. Pacific Gas and Electric officials confirm that the connection would had to have been removed intentionally and would take only 15 minutes for enough gas to accumulate before being ignited by the pilot light.

Substantiating the theory that there had been a break-in and possible burglary prior to the morning explosion, investigators report that a new deadbolt lock on the back door, which Donald says he locked before leaving for work that morning, was found in the open position.

Additionally, fire officials had found a pried open cash box shortly after their initial inspection of the site. Donald reported that he had between $3500 and $4000 cash in the boxes awaiting bank deposit. Also missing from the home was a .357 magnum handgun. The cash boxes had been sent to Sacramento for complete latent print dusting, but no prints could be identified.

As yet, there are no solid clues linking either the missing property or the arson with a string of eight other residential burglaries in the Escalon area in which nearly $15,000 in jewelry and cash were lost.

As questions continue to arise around the explosion, even after two weeks, the Donalds and their next door neighbors, John and Bonnie Goding, who were forced to leave their home because of destruction and debris, are still putting the pieces back together.

The Donalds are still staying with her family, and the Godings remain in a room at Emil's Motel. Both families now over the initial shock, are beginning to plot out a plan of action for returning to normal, everyday life.

The Donalds, following removal of debris and complete leveling of the site at 1919 Coley, will rebuild; and the Godings, after careful and complete professional investigation of their electrical wiring and framing, will begin the extensive repair to almost half their home before being able to move back in.

(Stories courtesy of the Escalon Times newspaper.)

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