Nothing Suspicious Found In Historic Barn Fire Investigation

The fire that destroyed San Juan Capistrano’s Cook Historic Barn was likely an accident according to fire investigators.

“The investigation didn’t lead to anything suspicious,” said Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion of the Orange County Fire Authority. “The investigation has been limited because of the instability of the structure, but it is still ongoing.”

At this point the insurance agency and the Cook family, which has owned the barn since it was built in 1898, will have to decide weather to tear it down, said Concepcion.

A private firm will continue to investigate the blaze, he said.

“It has been a difficult investigation, at best, because of the structure and the amount of stuff inside,” added Concepcion.

The Cook Historic Barn was engulfed by smoke and fire when firefighters arrived at 10:41 a.m. Thursday, five minutes after the blaze was reported, Concepcion said. Three to four people were on the property at the time but got to safety on their own, he said.

Teresa Cook had been living in the barn off and on for the past year with her two young children and their father, Gianvito Loparco, originally from Italy. Loparco had grown up in a rural area himself, and the family was taking full advantage of the barn’s original purpose, growing their own vegetables and raising silkie chickens and a rare heritage breed called Java chickens.

Penny Arévalo contributed to this report.