The Benton County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man who died in a May 8 house fire on Philomath’s west end as Craig Koehler, 72.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal classified the cause of the fire as undetermined, BCSO confirmed Monday. The “undetermined” classification means investigators were unable to establish a specific cause to a reasonable degree of certainty and does not indicate the fire was suspicious.
Philomath Fire and Rescue crews were dispatched at 7:25 a.m. May 8 to a structure fire at 615 Main St., after a passerby reported the blaze to 911. The first crew arrived three minutes later and found heavy fire coming from the rear windows of the home and smoke showing throughout the structure.
Firefighters broke through a door, entered the residence and located Koehler during a primary search, removing him from the home 17 minutes after the initial dispatch. Medical crews determined he was deceased.
Koehler had owned the home, a 1,170-square-foot single-story residence built in 1962, according to Benton County assessor records. The property sits just east of The Woodsman’s parking lot on the north side of Main Street.