Four found dead in Caswell house fire

CASWELL — Alaska State Troopers have released the names of four people were found dead in a house that burned near Mile 87 of the Parks Highway Tuesday.

The four people are: Vannaphone Soundara, 43, Azrealle C.D. Stewart, 23, Akson S.T. Soundara, 4, and Kayson J.L. Soundara, 1.

Troopers say that not all of them died in the fire.

Court records show Stewart filed for divorce late last month. An appeals court case from 2005 details a criminal case filed five years prior in which Soundara was convicted of assault and kidnapping for tying up another woman - his common-law wife at the time - and beating her for seven hours.

“Soundara told (the woman) that if she left him after this, he would shoot their children, set fire to them, and then kill himself,” according to the ruling in the appeals court case.

According to a trooper press statement, a passing motorist reported the fire just before 6 a.m. Firefighters from multiple departments — Caswell, Willow, Talkeetna, Houston and West Lakes — responded.

“Fire personnel extinguished the blaze and subsequently discovered the remains of four people inside,” troopers report.