December 29, 2004

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Publication Date: Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Fire takes life of Atherton man

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

Firefighters are still investigating the cause of a fire in a wood-burning stove that got out of control and killed an elderly Atherton man over the holiday.

Julian Pichel, 80, died in the burn unit at Valley Medical Center in San Jose on Christmas Day from injuries suffered after his clothing caught fire while he was lighting a wood-burning stove in his Heather Drive home shortly after 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, said Harold Schapelhouman, a division chief of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.

Firefighters are looking into whether Mr. Pichel did anything out of the ordinary when lighting the stove. So far, it appears he was going through his usual routine, said Mr. Schapelhouman.

In critical condition at the Valley Medical Center is Mr. Pichel's wife Cecile Henschel, 79, who is suffering from smoke inhalation after hearing her husband's screams and trying unsuccessfully to rescue him, Mr. Schapelhouman said. Her respiratory system was subject to potentially very serious damage by superheated gases, he added.

Ms. Henschel had screamed for help and Kathleen Donna -- a caretaker who rents a guest house on the property -- responded and tried several times to get into the room to help Mr. Pichel, said Mr. Schapelhouman. She managed to walk him to a sliding door, but conditions forced her out before she could open it, he said.

Firefighters arrived within four minutes of a 911 call by Ms. Henschel and knocked down "a very small fire" within 15 minutes, said Mr. Schapelhouman.

What Ms. Donna did "was very brave and, at times, very dangerous," said Mr. Schapelhouman. Ms. Donna may have suffered from minor smoke inhalation, but did not appear to be injured, he added.

The couple and Ms. Donna were taken to Stanford Hospital initially. Since there are no hospitals with burn units in San Mateo County, Mr. Pichel was flown to the Valley Medical Center, said Mr. Schapelhouman. Ms. Henschel arrived there later by ambulance.
A regular routine

Mr. Pichel had likely been using a regular routine to light the stove, and whether the routine was unsafe is yet to be determined, said Mr. Schapelhouman. Fire consumed the stove's fuel -- thought to be either a manufactured log or possibly pellets -- and burned the labels from a pile of manufactured logs stacked nearby.

While there was a container of lighter fluid in the room, it was stored away from the stove and near a fire extinguisher and there was no evidence that the fluid had been used, said Mr. Schapelhouman.

The fire burned chairs and furnishings near the stove. Investigators have not yet determined whether Mr. Pichel's clothing was particularly flammable, said Mr. Schapelhouman. A definitive answer to what caused the fire to go out of control may never be known, he said.

  Holiday dangers

The Atherton couple had just returned home after a family get-together, said Mr. Schapelhouman, to whom the responsibility fell to call the family at about 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve. "We tried to be as supportive as possible," he said. "Our hearts go out to them. It really is a tragedy."

The holiday season can be a dangerous and stressful time, and a lapse in attention -- particularly in a time of cold weather and high heating bills -- can lead to tragic results, he added. Two years ago, Menlo Park firefighters fought another Christmas Eve fire in East Palo Alto that killed two children.

In September, a 4-1 majority on Atherton's City Council rejected the fire protection district's recommendation that fire sprinklers be included in any home remodeling project larger than 2,500 square feet.

Peter Carpenter, a board member of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and a neighbor of the victims, said this fire "underscores the need for both working smoke detectors and residential fire sprinklers."

Family mourns father

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

The Pichel family is in mourning after a Christmas Eve fire that killed 80-year-old Julian and critically injured his wife, Cecile, 79, in their Atherton home.

But Stephen, one of the couple's three children, says he is finding some comfort in the fact that the extended family had a cheerful holiday dinner together earlier that night at the Woodside home of his sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Alvin Arata. His mother played the piano and everyone ate well and enjoyed themselves, he said.

"This is an absolute tragedy," he said. "Fortunately we can look at it and say, 'I'm glad we had the time together, had the time to be close.'"

The family is now spending long hours at the Valley Medical Center in San Jose with Cecile, who is still in critical condition.

"She's not well," Stephen said. "Smoke inhalation is tough."

Stephen's parents, who moved to their Heather Drive home in 1955, were active members of the community for years, he said.

Dr. Julian Irving Pichel was a retired child psychiatrist who had worked with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation for more than 30 years, "only missing half a day of work" in his career, his son said.

Cecile, who uses her birth name, Henschel, is a marriage and family counselor. Her son said she has been intending to retire for years, but that she still sees clients from time to time.

Born in Berkeley, Julian Pichel attended Pennsylvania State University in the 1940s, where he met his future wife. The two then went to Yale University, where Dr. Pichel earned his medical degree and Ms. Henschel earned a psychology degree, their son said.

The couple married in 1945, just after World War II ended. They moved to Belmont in 1950 and to Atherton five years later.

Stephen Pichel said his father was a "quiet, very understated" man who set a strong example with his reliability. "If you ever needed anything, you could call on him day or night," he said.

Many family members also have pieces of Dr. Pichel's original artwork: water color paintings of local images such as rural red barns and the San Mateo County Coastside.

Stephen Pichel said his parents have had the ability to relate to people of all ages, adding, "My friends were devastated" to hear about the fire.

Besides his wife, son, and Stephen's wife, Vanna, Dr. Pichel is survived by two daughters, Linda Arata of Woodside and Cathy Pichel Cook of Hawaii, and their husbands Alvin and John; and five grandchildren.

Memorial services will be planned when more is known about Cecile's medical prognosis, her son said.

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