North Tustin Home Burns; Man Missing

Authorities are searching for the owner of a home destroyed by fire early Friday in the unincorporated area of north Tustin.

Personal belongings of James Gold, 61, were found at the home, as was his car, but there was no sign of him, said Lt. Hayward Miller of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

“The start of the fire is suspicious, and his disappearance is suspicious,” said Jim Amormino, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman. Fire authorities dug through the debris without success, said Capt. Stephen Miller, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

The fire was reported about 12:30 a.m. and had fully engulfed the one-story home and a guest house in the 14600 block of Candeda Place when firefighters arrived, Miller said. The home and its contents were a total loss.

A 26-year-old woman, whom witnesses saw running from the house, was detained, questioned and released by Fire Authority officials, Miller said. She was later placed under protective custody by sheriff’s deputies.

The woman, who authorities believe rented a room from Gold, will be given a psychological evaluation, Miller said.

Authorities have responded to more than 20 calls at the residence since July for such things as disturbing the peace, domestic violence and fires, Amormino said.

Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries and released after an oxygen tank exploded.