Store Fire Tied to Insurance Policy; Victims Identified

Two men found dead inside a Santa Ana store destroyed by a massive explosion and fire have been identified through dental charts as the store owner and his employee.

Meanwhile, a preliminary investigation indicates that the victims set the fire and that they may have done so in an attempt to collect insurance money, authorities said Wednesday.

Santa Ana Fire Department arson investigators said it appears that the victims spread a gasoline-like liquid throughout Today’s Auto Parts and Stereo but that they were unable to flee before the fire erupted early Monday morning, killing them and destroying four stores in a shopping center at 636 S. Harbor Blvd. Damage was estimated at $950,000.

“Initial investigation indicates a possible motive may have been the poor financial condition of the business,” Fire Department spokeswoman Sharon Frank said.

One of the dead men, identified as Liem Khac Dinh, 23, recently insured the contents of his combination stereo and auto parts store for $175,000, Frank and insurance adjusters said Wednesday.

Victims Lived Together

While she would not say exactly when Dinh took out the insurance policy, Frank said “it was at least a month ago and perhaps several months ago.”

The other victim, identified as That Thap Nguyen, 20, was employed by Dinh and lived with him, their roommates said.

Both men burned to death. Nguyen also suffered carbon monoxide intoxication, Frank said Wednesday.

“Torches found on or near the body of Nguyen indicated that he had ignited the fire,” Frank said. “All entries or exits to the building had been found to have been secured from the inside prior to the fire.”

Keys to the building were found in Dinh’s pocket, she said.

“Dinh was apparently at the front of the store trying to continue to spread the flammable liquid. Nguyen’s body was found back near the bathroom, and he apparently torched too soon,” Frank said, “and so they were trapped.”

The fact that Nguyen suffered the carbon monoxide inhalation indicates that the flammable liquid had probably been spread from the back of the small shop to the front, Frank said. She said the explosion apparently was caused by combustion of the liquid’s vapors, which built up because the men remained in the building too long before igniting the liquid.

Jack Chou, 50, owner of the shopping center and Dinh’s landlord, said that his tenant owed him about $24,000 for inventory he had bought from him but that Dinh had been punctual in his payments.

Chou also said that Dinh had promptly paid his rent the past 10 months but that a check for Dinh’s May payment, received the day of the fire, had bounced. He said he learned Wednesday that Dinh had insured his inventory but that he did not have coverage for structural damage.

Investigators had said that Dinh’s business was doing poorly, but Chou said he was skeptical.

“I own four shopping centers and deal a lot with tenants,” he said. “And if any tenant is in financial trouble, the first thing they don’t pay is the rent because the landlord cannot evict the tenant for two months, and (in the meantime) they can pay their other bills.”

Police had been told by Dinh’s neighbors in the shopping center that Dinh’s business was thriving. They also reportedly said he had recently received extortion threats.

However, investigators Wednesday reiterated an earlier statement that there was no evidence linking Vietnamese gang activity or extortion threats to the fire.