Man demanded money, allegedly set Morro Bay home on fire

September 23, 2021

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A man showed up at a Morro Bay home to demand money early Wednesday morning, then set the house on fire by knocking over a candle, the homeowner alleges.

Early in the morning, a man known as Mike arrived at a two-story house located at 451 Trinidad Street and confronted Andy Randrup, an elderly person in a wheelchair who owns the home. Randrup’s son, daughter-in-law and the couple’s 12-year-old daughter also live in the home.

Mike insisted that Randrup’s son owed him a couple thousand dollars, Randrup said. He demanded Randrup’s bank card and said, if he did not receive it, he would harm Randrup’s daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

During the confrontation, Mike allegedly knocked a candle onto Randrup’s bed, starting the fire. Mike then allegedly fled the home through the kitchen door.

Randrup’s daughter-in-law and granddaughter escaped through the back door of the house. Randrup managed to go out the front door, but he suffered serious burns.

A caller reported the house fire at about 6:33 a.m. Morro Bay firefighters and Cal Fire arrived and extinguished the blaze, though the home sustained significant damage.

Morro Bay police are aware of the suspect’s identity, Randrup said.


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Maybe Cal Coast News needs to talk with all the parties involved so they can get their story right instead of relying on what a delusional person has to say.


More than the usual number of fires these past months. Often associated with illegal pharmaceutical activity – production, collections, competition. The Dayspring family is active in Morro Bay. Could be a connection.


Always in that part of town too – the alphabet streets of the slums of North Morro Bay.


Morro Bay locals feeling entitled to commit crimes make it a really nasty town.


Maybe I watch too much CSI, but I believe 99.99% of the time if you knock a candle over onto a bed it will go out. Hummm


In the seventh grade, friends and I were playing with candles in their plywood ‘fort’. The candle wax spilled and the plywood caught fire quickly.


wtf? What kind of idiot shows up at someone’s house at 6AM to demand money? Also strange that the residents had candles burning at that hour.


The kind of idiot that “burns the candle at both ends”. (AHAAHHHAA)