Thomas L. Christensen, 83, died Sunday in an early morning fire at his home in Haines.
The cause of the fire at 811 Roberts St. is undetermined, said Casey Kump of Prineville, deputy state fire marshal. Because the house was totally destroyed by the fire, investigators relied on witness statements to verify that the fire was accidental, he said.
Kump worked with the Haines Fire Department and Oregon State Police to investigate the blaze, which leveled the two-bedroom home where Christensen lived alone.
“The occupant was starting his wood stove when something went wrong,” Kump said. “He had some different habits of starting his wood stove.”
Witnesses reported multiple explosions during the fire, which were not blamed for starting the blaze, but contributed to spreading it.