San Francisco
Examiner
Saturday
November 13, 1999
Hell's Inferno Rages On Angel Island
Photo S. Morrison, AP Historic Manor in Ruins
By Alan Smithee
Staff Writer
TIBURON - Emergency crews dug through the rubble of headquarters of the Luna Foundation on Angel Island after an explosion leveled the structure late last night. The foundation's executive director, Dr. Derek Rayne, a well known Bay area philanthropist, is missing and feared dead.
The explosion shattered the landmark gothic folly, which had been heavily damaged and rebuilt after the 1906 quake. The ensuing conflagration could be seen around the entire Bay area for several minutes. Its intensity leaves little hope for
finding Dr. Rayne, who was believed to have been the only person in the building, alive. Some witnesses reported smelling natural gas after the blast, but the exact cause of the explosion has not been determined.
"All of a sudden, our house shook," said Karen Walsh, a resident of Sausalito. "I thought it was a big clap of thunder at first, then I saw a flash. It was like a flash of lightning."
"This is a total shock," said Dr. Rachel Corrigan, the foundation's associate director. "It's very, very hard on everybody. We are devastated by the loss of our friend."
