Family of man burned in Los Osos house fire said he was distraught

A Los Osos man is in critical condition at a Fresno hospital after a fire that destroyed his home Monday afternoon.

Officials say the family of Mark Hannah, 47, had previously asked law enforcement to check on him because he appeared distraught and they were worried about his mental health.

The large fire was reported about 3:45 p.m. in the 600 block of Woodland Drive, according to Cal Fire.

Two battalion chiefs and five fire engines responded to the incident, but the home was destroyed before firefighters were able to contain the blaze about 5 p.m., according to Cal Fire Capt. Dave Kay.

No firefighters or other residents were injured.

Kay said he spoke Tuesday morning with the Cal Fire investigator, who reportedly said that while the investigation into the cause of the fire remained ongoing, investigators are looking at two rooms in the home as possible points of origin. He did not have a possible cause or figure for monetary damage and said the agency would not be releasing additional information Tuesday.

However, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla said that deputies had been requested to conduct welfare checks on Hannah because of concerns about his mental state twice in the past week — once several days ago and once again just hours before the fire.

Cipolla said that in the first instance, deputies arrived at his home and knocked on the door, but Hannah refused to come out of the house or speak to the officers. Because no crime had been committed, Cipolla said, the deputies left without talking to Hannah face-to-face.

On Monday morning, deputies again were dispatched to the home at the request of Hannah’s family members. As the deputies arrived, they witnessed Hannah driving away, and they followed him onto Los Osos Valley Road, where they attempted to pull him over with their lights flashing.

Cipolla said he ignored the deputies and continued driving north.

“He continued to drive, never exceeding the speed limit,” Cipolla said. “After a short pursuit (the deputies) decided to terminate the pursuit because, again, no crime had occurred and because of public safety concerns.”

Cipolla said it is believed Hannah drove to Cayucos and Cambria before returning to his Los Osos home.

Following the outbreak of the fire, deputies and Cal Fire crews found Hannah in the home’s backyard with burns to his feet, hands, torso and face. Cipolla said Hannah physically resisted emergency personnel before he was successfully detained and taken via ambulance to a local hospital. He was later transferred to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno.

Mike Bailey, spokesman for the facility, said Tuesday afternoon that Hannah remained in critical condition at the facility’s burn center.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Family of man burned in Los Osos house fire said he was distraught."