Nevada County sheriff's detectives Elaine LaCroix and Stan Holder (right) lead Chapel of the Angels workers Tuesday to human remains from a Sunday house fire on Wolf Creek Road. The remains of two people haven't been identified, and the fire remains under investigation. (Photo by Doug Mattson)

Remains from two bodies have been recovered from a fire-destroyed house on Wolf Creek Road, and it is presumed they are a man who lived there and his stepson, according to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office.

A body was found Monday night lying inside the front door, and the remains of a second body were found near a stairwell Tuesday morning, Undersheriff John Trauner said.

William Shaffer, 54, and his stepson, Jordan Keller, 24, of Citrus Heights, are believed to be the victims of Sunday's blaze, said Trauner. Both of their cars were found next to the foundation of the south county house, and neither man has been located elsewhere.

The remains will be taken to the Placer County morgue, where a pathologist will try to identify them.

Although the home's rubble remains surrounded by police tape and classified a possible crime scene, Trauner said it's unknown if the fire was accidental or intentional.

But the fire was called "very suspicious" by a state arson investigator. At least one area of origin has been located, and there could be at least one other area - possibly explaining why flames swallowed the two-story house soon after a neighbor called 911 Sunday afternoon, said Phil Porto of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Porto also found it unusual that the fire occurred midday, with no obvious cause. He said a hydrocarbon-detecting dog will sniff the debris today for flammable or combustible fluids.

Witnesses reported hearing an explosion coming from the house, but it's possible that was caused by a backdraft that broke the windows, said Sheriff's Detective Elaine LaCroix.

Will Shaffer and his wife, Kim Shaffer, rent another home on their property to a man, and that person was the first to spot the fire and call 911. He told authorities that he saw a man lying face down inside the house, and that was believed to be the same body discovered Monday night, Porto said.

Neighbors spoke fondly of both missing men.

Keller's mother is Kim Shaffer, and she had spent the weekend shopping in San Francisco with a sister and daughter, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The Shaffers are real estate agents, and Kim Shaffer also owns a clothing store in Nevada City, according to Larik and Lisa Butyrin, who live next door. They said the couple moved to 20233 Wolf Creek Road about 15 years ago, possibly from the Bay Area.

Keller, Lisa Butyrin said, was a Bear River High School graduate and played football there. He was in the Air Force but was discharged early, and he never talked about it, according to Lisa Butyrin. She hadn't seen Keller for about four months, but he used to play disc golf and video games with her son.

"He was nice. He was just an appreciative kind of person," she said.

Keller also had a real estate license but had recently worked as a telemarketer, the Butyrins said.

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