>> reporter: keith's good friend craig bradley was there to lend his support. and how was he doing?is the first time you have a chance to see him eye to eye? >> i could just tell he was shaken. >> reporter: as if the news couldn't get any worse, the griffith's great dane cleo, along with the second pet daisy, had also perished in the flames. craig and keith walked the property surveying the damages. >> we get to the koi pond and he's like, "gotta get -- gotta get those fish outta there. julie would kill me if something happened to those fish." i was like, "you know, let's not worry about that right now." >> reporter: overwhelmed by loss, the griffiths were faced with the question -- how could this have happened? >> the first thought was that it was the new heating and air unit, it had just gone in. >> reporter: the unit had been installed just days before the fire, adjacent to the master bedroom. >> that was my very first thought. that somehow the new heating and air unit wasn't put in properly. >> reporter: faulty installation? >> yeah. >> reporter: as for the cause of julie's deat

nbc's matt bradley is in yountville, california with, more. good morning to you. >> good morning, craig. you know, just moments ago we saw what looked like some of the gurneys of the victims being wheeled out of this building behind me. this as investigators try to figure out why this young man attacked this tranquil facility in the heart of california wine country and then why he decided to kill these three women before taking his own life. >> reporter: this morning the town of yountville in shock. after a nearly eight hour hostage standoff at this veterans home ended in tragedy. >> shortly before 6:00 p.m. this evening, law enforcement personnel made entry into the room and unfortunately made the discovery of three deceased females and one deceased male suspect. >> reporter: the standoff began after 10:00 a.m. friday when authorities say albert wong burst into a meeting at the pathway home, a program that treats combat veterans for ptsd. >> he had bullets around his waist. and other stuff in his jacket. >> reporter: wong who is 36 years old was an army veteran being treated for ptsd.