About 5:30 a.m. Sunday, a fire broke out at 13412 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd. in Vancouver. The fire apparently started in the Oasis Market convenience store. (Photo courtesy Paul Smith).
The person whose body was found among the debris of an intentionally set fire Sunday has been identified as a Vancouver woman who worked at the Sifton neighborhood market.
Amy Marie Hooser, 47, of Vancouver died of smoke inhalation and blunt force injuries to the head, according to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office. The agency ruled the death a homicide.
Clark County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Duncan Hoss said that Hooser was an employee of the Oasis Food Mart and was opening up the store when the crime occurred.
Detectives are still investigating whether the death was a result of a robbery or caused by someone who knows Hooser, Hoss said, adding that investigators are not releasing any more details, including whether they have identified a suspect.
Hooser’s body was found following a fire that originated in the food mart at the Sifton area strip mall.
Evidence at the scene indicates that one or more fires were intentionally set inside the convenience store, though the circumstances are still under investigation, Deputy Clark County Fire Marshal Susan Anderson said. There was an estimated $566,940 in damage to the structure and another $425,205 to the contents, she added.
According to posts on her Facebook profile, Hooser had been apparently unable to work for several weeks due to a medical issue, and had finally returned to work Saturday. She attended Fort Vancouver High School and Washington State University.
Firefighters were called to the Sifton Plaza, a four-unit retail complex at 13412 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., at about 5:40 a.m. Sunday and found flames and smoke coming from the building’s roof. Arriving crews called for a three-alarm fire, prompting dozens of firefighters to respond.
Firefighters took a defensive approach, attacking the blaze from the outside. Crews later found a body inside the structure.
On Tuesday, visitors to the site placed flowers at the temporary fence set up around the crime scene’s perimeter.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said major crimes detectives are investigating the circumstances of the blaze and ask anyone with tips to contact the sheriff’s office, 360-397-2211.
The complex, on the north side of Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard, had a Texaco gas station and the Oasis Market convenience store, along with three other small tenants: a barber shop, pet supply store and pet grooming business.
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