Wow...I grew up watching this guy on TV...so sad...



http://www.mercurynews.co...335787.htm

Fire official: Cause of fire that killed TV anchor may never be known

By Lisa M. Krieger

Mercury News

Contra Costa County Fire District officials say they may never know the cause of the blaze that claimed the life of longtime KPIX-TV newscaster Doug Murphy, who died of smoke inhalation at his Lafayette home Sunday night.

Why Murphy was not able to flee the flames also remained a mystery Monday.

Murphy, 55, left the station earlier this year for unspecified health reasons, a spokeswoman for the station said. The county coroner is conducting toxicology tests of Murphy to check for the presence of alcohol or medication or other drugs.

Preliminary findings indicate that the fire originated in the family room of the house, where Murphy's body was found and was probably accidental, according to Richard Carpenter of the Contra Costa County Fire District.

``We may never know what caused it,'' said Carpenter.

Murphy won an Emmy Award and other prestigious honors as an anchor on the newscast of the CBS affiliate KPIX-TV.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1950, Murphy yearned to be a TV reporter from the age of five, colleague Kate Kelly told KPIX viewers on Sunday night. ``Four of his uncles were sportscasters and he wanted to follow in their footsteps,'' she said.

``There wasn't a live shot he couldn't do,'' said Kelly. ``He took us under his wing and made us look good. He made it look easier than it was.''

Murphy began his career at KPIX in 1982 and began anchoring the weekend ``Chanel 5 Eyewitness News'' with Kelly in 1984. Among other major stories, he covered the 49's SuperBowl victory and the Oakland Hills fire. He was the only TV reporter to get an interview with Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev during a 1990 visit to San Francisco.

In addition to winning an Emmy for his coverage of the Bay to Breakers run, he was awarded the Bill Stout Memorial Award for Excellence from the Associated Press Television-Radio Association of California.

``I knew Mr. Murphy as a consummate professional. He would always ask the important questions, check his facts, and report his stories with clarity and compassion. He was easy to talk to and was never confrontational. He always did his job in an easy going professional manner. We will all miss him,'' wrote retired San Francisco Police Department chief Fred H. Lau, in a tribute to Murphy posted online by KPIX.

Colleague Barbara Rodgers recalled his sense of humor and boisterous laugh, calling him ``a fun, fun guy.'' A volunteer soccer coach for youth teams, Murphy also made an effort to get to know the East Bay community in his free time, Rodgers said.

The fire started shortly before 7:30 p.m., according to KPIX. Several neighbors interviewed on KPIX said they ran to the house and kicked in the front door, but could not enter due to thick smoke.

Firefighters found Murphy and attempted to resuscitate him for 25 minutes. No one else was in the house at the time.

Murphy is survived by a son and daughter.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Material from the Contra Costa Times was used in this story.

Mach said:

It's so sad... he was such a young guy, really...

Yes very sad. I hate that he was alone at the time.


M

holy shit I hadn't heard I didn't even know he'd left the air recently, could swear I saw him reporting just the other day... Damn

Another familiar face gone.