A man was found dead in his home Thursday morning when Alaska State Troopers responded to a report of a structure fire several miles down Kalifornsky Beach Road, according to a Thursday dispatch.
Troopers were notified of the fire at around 5:30 a.m., the dispatch says, and responded with Central Emergency Services to a residence near Mile 7.5 of the road, around 9 miles south toward Homer from the Bridge Access Road and Kalifornsky Beach Road intersection.
Stephen Okkonen, a 69-year-old commercial fisherman and research associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who lived in Kasilof, was found dead inside. He was the homeowner and sole occupant, the dispatch says.
Investigation indicated that a gas leak caused an explosion and the fire.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
