Someone caused San Luis Ranch barn fire — but was it arson or an accident?
A fire that burned down a historic barn at the San Luis Ranch development site in February was caused by a person or people, but it’s unclear whether it was an accident or arson, the SLO Fire Department announced.
On a cold, rainy Friday night on Feb. 8, the flames engulfed the barn at about 9:40 p.m., destroying most of the wooden structure that was formerly a viewing and staging area for horse races in the 1800s.
“We’ve eliminated that this was caused by an electrical failure or a reason other than humans,” SLO Fire Marshall Rodger Maggio said. “There were many transients living in the area, and we found shopping carts and other items inside the barn. ... But the cause is undetermined and we’re still asking anyone with knowledge to come forward to help close that gap of information.”
Maggio said the burn patterns eliminated the possibility of an electrical short.
Maggio said there was a “lot of human activity” in the area when the blaze occurred.
“People were hanging out in that area immediately before and after it happened,” Maggio said. “We’ve interviewed some of them, but information has been not forthcoming.”
Maggio said winds were blowing at 10 to 15 miles per hour when the fire, possibly a camp fire, started at the 50-foot-by-50-foot, two-story structure with a metal roof.
The blaze started in the lower part of the building, on the first floor, Maggio said.
The barn was to be relocated on the property to preserve its history, as part of the San Luis Ranch development that’s approved for 580 homes, commercial and office space, and a 200-room hotel.
Construction is underway on the development.
Only “a few boards were left intact” and the fire caused an estimated $500,000 in damage, Maggio said. No other buildings at the site were damaged.
Cate Norton, a San Luis Ranch project representative, said the developer will talk with SLO officials and the city’s Cultural Heritage Committee to determine the steps moving forward for the barn’s cultural heritage.
The overall development project is on time with grading and site improvements; work on Madonna Road is scheduled to begin next month, Norton said.
This story was originally published September 9, 2019 at 3:17 PM.
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