7 displaced after fire destroys family home

By Rolf Boone | The Olympian • Published May 04, 2008

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TUMWATER – The Mount Rainier Chapter of the American Red Cross seeks donations for a South Sound family of seven whose home burned down Saturday morning.

The family of Alfredo Tabulina, four adults and three children, is staying at a hotel in the Tumwater area, Red Cross spokeswoman Karen Kim said. She declined to name the hotel, citing the family's need for privacy.

The fire started about 7:30 a.m. in the 9500 block of Warren Lane S.W. after Tabulina, 59, had finished cleaning up dog hair in his carport using a blowtorch.

He said that shortly after he finished, he had to take his wife on an errand.

The couple got as far as Trosper Road in Tumwater when his daughter called, telling him the house was on fire. All but one room in the house was destroyed, he said.

No one was injured, Kim said.

The Tabulinas had lived in the 2,000-square-foot house since 1992, but because they were in the middle of refinancing their mortgage, Alfredo Tabulina is concerned they also might be between home-insurance policies.

Tabulina said he has used a blowtorch to clean up dog hair from the dog's sleeping area before.

Mark Nelson, assistant fire chief for East Olympia Fire District No. 6, warned Saturday that residents shouldn't use blowtorches for unintended purposes.

The fire was so far along that firefighters tried to contain and salvage items from the house for the family, Nelson said.

He described the house as a double-wide mobile home with other buildings, such as a shop, that appeared to have been added to it over the years.

Rolf Boone is a reporter for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or rboone@theolympian.com.