Fears that tear gas rounds may have sparked blaze that killed ex-policeman after recording surfaces purporting to be of police scanner conversation during raid

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

A six-day hunt for a former policeman suspected of a killing spree in California ended on Wednesday when a cabin in the mountains above LA went up in flames.

A body suspected to be that of Christopher Dorner was found in the ruins of the building. Dorner is suspected to have killed four people in a vendetta against LA police officers and their families; the fourth was an officer from San Bernardino County sheriff's department killed in a shootout at the cabin on Tuesday night.

Dorner had threatened to bring "warfare" to the LAPD, having claimed he had been the subject of racism when he was sacked from his job as a policeman there. Rory Carroll has the full story.

It is not yet clear how the fire at the cabin was started, but some evidence seems to suggest it may have been as a consequence of the tear gas fired by police.

A recording purporting to be of the conversation on police scanners as officers surrounded the cabin where Dorner was hiding seems to show police discussing "going forward with the plan, with, er, with the burn" or "burner".

The term "burner" had led to speculation that the fire had been started deliberately, but burner is thought to be police slang for tear gas, and may refer to "BurnSafe" containers for CS gas canisters, made by the Covina-Thomas Company in Covina, California. On its website the company lists among its recent customers the LAPD, although not the San Bernardo County sheriff's office, which led the raid.

Following the fire that killed 76 Branch Davidian cult members during the Waco siege in Texas there was a long period of controversy over whether the blaze had been started by military tear gas cartridges.

The Guardian cannot confirm that the audio track is a genuine recording of the police scanner.

At around the 1min mark in the recording, a male voice says:

All right, Steve, we're gonna go, er, we're gonna go forward with the plan, with, er, with the burn [or burner]. We want it, er, like we talked about.

He then adds shortly afterwards:

Seven burners deployed and we have a fire.

A female voice responds:

Copy. Seven burners deployed and we have a fire.

At around 2min 20sec, a male voice says:

Guys, be ready on the No 4 side. We have fire in the front. He might come out the back.

At around 2min 50sec, a male voice requests a fire engine.

There is then a report of a shot fired from within the residence, followed by a sharp noise of some kind.

This video, which purports to be a recording of KCAL TV coverage of the raid on the cabin, seems to include the sound of police shouting: "We're going to burn him out," and "Burn this motherfucker!"

Journalist Max Blumenthal claims to have been listening to the police scanners through an iPhone app at the time and has put together a timeline of events. The key tweets match the YouTube video purporting to be the police scanner:

Hard to decipher on San Bernadino Sheriff scanner now: "We're gonna go ahead w/the plan w/the burner... Like we talked about." — Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) February 12, 2013

BREAKING: PD scanners right now: "The burner's deployed and we have a fire." Sheriffs have set #Dorner cabin on fire or so it seems. — Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) February 13, 2013

SB County System 6,7,8 scanner: "We have fire in the front and it may come out the back" #Dorner — Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) February 13, 2013

According to the Associated Press, writing from Big Bear Lake, California, where the incident took place, the police attacked the cabin like so:

A SWAT team surrounded the cabin and used an armoured vehicle to break out the cabin windows, said a law enforcement official who requested anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. The officers then pumped a gas into the cabin and blasted a message over a loudspeaker: "Surrender or come out." The armoured vehicle then tore down each of the cabin's four walls. A single shot was heard inside before the cabin was engulfed in flames, the law enforcement official told the Associated Press.



The LA Times describes it like this:

Just before 5pm, authorities smashed the cabin's windows, pumped in tear gas and called for the suspect to surrender. They got no response. Then, using a demolition vehicle, they tore down the cabin's walls one by one. When they reached the last wall, they heard a gunshot. Then the cabin burst into flames.

A spokesman for the San Bernardino County sheriff's office refused to answer any media questions about the fire or Dorner's death until the press conference the police force is holding on Wednesday at 4pm LA time (midnight GMT).

Note: This article was redrafted at 5.30pm GMT on 13 February 2013 due to new information about the possible meaning of the word "burner" coming to light.