REDWOOD CITY – A man arrested last month after a grill he left on on his balcony was suspected to have been the origin of a massive six-alarm fire that destroyed much of his Foster City condominium complex and displaced nearly 150 residents will not face criminal charges, prosecutors announced on Thursday.
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Investigations into the incident found that the fire started in the area of a propane grill that was “negligently” left running by resident Keith Tompkins, 61, but could not determine the cause of the fire, according to a news release from San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. A report on the fire’s investigation notes the grill being left on in the area where the fire began, but says the actual cause of the blaze cannot be determined.
“The investigator cannot conclude that the fire occurred due to the grill being left on,” Wagstaffe said in the news release. “Even if the cause of the fire was not ‘undetermined,’ the police investigation and interview of Mr. Tompkins established that there was no intent for a fire to occur and that at most there was civil negligence in leaving the grill on.”
The case does not rise to the level of criminal offense, Wagstaffe added.
Tompkins declined to comment, citing a need to confer with his attorney.
The fire broke out on the afternoon of Aug. 2 at a complex located at 815 Sea Spray Lane. Investigators determined that it began in Unit 107, a first-floor unit where Tompkins lived with his 93-year-old mother, Wagstaffe said.
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As firefighters battled the blaze from Sunday afternoon and into Monday morning, four sustained minor injuries including burns and smoke inhalation.
Tompkins was arrested on suspicion of causing a fire that injured firefighters and obstructing investigators just days after the fire after his propane grill was determined to be the origin point of the blaze.
The blaze resulted in about 50 condo units being damaged or destroyed, Wagstaffe added. No residents were injured in the fire.
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