Six die in Vancouver, Washington, house fire: money/foreclosure problems

[Hannah Bell]

Investigators have determined that a fire that engulfed a home in the city of Vancouver, Washington, early Easter Sunday, claiming the lives of a father and his five children, was arson. Surveillance images and the remnants of a gas can suggest that the fire was lit by the father, Tuan Dao, who was distraught over marital and financial problems.

Tuan and Lori Dao filed for divorce after losing their personal home and another home to foreclosure. They filed for bankruptcy last September. The bankruptcy filing shows $160,000 in credit card and other debts, including $2,000 in gambling debt. The couple owed $262,000 on the mortgage on the house that burned down, but the value of the house had plummeted to $179,000.

Both Tuan and Lori Dao were employed, jointly making $86,000 annually, but their assets were negligible. They had less than $800 in two checking accounts and expected about an $8,000 refund for their 2010 taxes. Acquaintances of Tuan Dao spoke highly of him... “Tuan Dao was my friend,” wrote one. “He was a very kind, gentle, and generous man. Tuan spent almost every moment of his life smiling and laughing. He worked very hard and loved his children very much. I, as well as the many others whose lives Tuan touched, are in shock and utter disbelief.”

The city of Vancouver has a population of over 165,000 and is tied economically to the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area, which encompasses more than 2.2 million people. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the area has an unemployment rate of 9.6 percent. Vancouver itself has a poverty rate of 12.2 percent.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/may2011/fire-m02.shtml