LA CROSSE, Wis. (WTAQ) - Investigators say a fire that killed a man in La Crosse was started by a propane torch that was too close to a container of volatile chemicals – and it’s been ruled an accident. 34-year-old James Oestreich died in Monday’s fire, which occurred in the basement of his home. Authorities said it was impossible to determine what the chemicals were, because the fire evaporated them too quickly. They said the fire started in the center of a room in the basement. And it was confined there, because there was nothing else to cause the flames to spread.