From fired to fire, bad day for Oregon man

OREGON CITY, Ore., April 26 (UPI) -- An Oregon man who had just been told he was out of a job and came home to find his house burning, says he "chooses to laugh" at his run of bad luck.

Victor Gonzalez of Oregon City told KPTV the fire may have started with a spark from his wood stove. He had expected to be at home but got called to work Friday -- after he lit the fire -- and then found out he was being fired.

Gonzalez is a social worker helping people handle emergencies like fires or being fired.

"You can choose to laugh or you can choose to cry and I'm choosing to laugh because I don't want to know what's going to happen if I cry," he said.

Gonzalez, a single father since a divorce, said he is grateful to his 12-year-old daughter who helped him get his other daughter and a niece out of the burning house.

The fire, which apparently started in the chimney, destroyed part of the roof and singed the top floor. The house and Gonzalez's possessions are soaked with water.