Arsonist Set Really Big Fire -- $8 Million Home Filled With Gas, Then Touched Off

NAPA, Calif. - Officials don't know why an arsonist broke through a fence, pumped propane into a gigantic mansion and destroyed the $8 million structure in a huge explosion heard miles away.

"Whoever did it didn't care that we would know it was purposefully set," said Napa County Sheriff's Lt. John Baumgartner. "Somebody pumped propane from the propane tank into the house and ignited it."

The 20,000-square-foot palace, the recently completed dwelling of developer Joaquin de Monet, was the largest and most expensive home in Napa.

Authorities received calls from people living 6 miles away who reported hearing the 5:15 a.m. blast. The propane pumped into the home apparently came from a 900-gallon tank used to heat the pool.

De Monet, whose family had only lived in the home for just more than three months, toured the ashes of the mansion yesterday afternoon.

"I'm still in a state of shock," he said. "I don't know what to think."

De Monet said was on vacation in Lake Tahoe with his wife and five children when the blast occurred. The mansion was unoccupied.

"All I can say is that somebody didn't like him," Baumgartner said of de Monet.

The ashes still smoldered late last night and champagne corks could be heard popping in the smoky rubble.

The builder had received threats during the last few months, Baumgartner said at a news conference.

"We are looking at people he's associated with," he said without elaboration.

The recently completed mansion, dubbed Chateau du Vallon, was set on a 40-acre hillside near Silverado Country Club.

Built to resemble a French chateau, the two-story structure was topped with 161,000 slate tiles imported from China. It included six bedrooms, 10 marble-lined bathrooms, nine chandeliers, six fireplaces, a three-room office, elevator, dog's shower, library and butler's pantry.