On Monday, 8/20/07 at about 1:30am, unknown suspect(s) set fire to the back porch of an occupied residence on the 4500 block of South Alaska St. An attempt was made to set fire to the front porch as well. The suspect(s) also entered the back yard of the neighboring house to the south and dropped burning matches onto the wooden deck attached to the rear of the house. Two previous residential arson incidents in this neighborhood are still under investigation by the Arson/Bomb Squad and have similarities to this incident. - 4/2/07, approximately 11pm: 4600 Block of 43rd Ave. South. Single-family residence. $500,000 loss; unknown person(s) used hand held flame to ignite combustibles on exterior of structure.
- 4/8/07, approximately 1:45am: 5900 Block of 51st Ave. South. Single-family residence. $400,000 loss; unknown person(s) applied an ignitable liquid to exterior of home and lighted the same with an open flame. At this time there is no solid evidence linking these incidents. However, there are similarities: - Houses were situated on corner lots with easy access to the back yards - The fires were started using available materials present - The fires were started at the rear of each structure at ground level underneath enclosed but accessible areas - The houses were occupied at the time. The victims in each reported no prior threats, and know of no reason they might have been targeted. There have been no witnesses located. There is no suspect information at this time. Also early Monday, 8/20/07, at approximately 12:30pm, there was a fire at an
apartment complex on the 3900 Block of S. Hudson ST. The cause of the fire
is unknown at this time, but initial indications are that the origin of the
fire was suspicious in nature. 8/21/07 at approximately 3am, Fire fighters and police responded to a possible arson on the 1900 Block of 23rd Ave S. The building was a vacant warehouse. There are no indications of anyone being injured as a result of the fire. The Seattle Police Department Arson/Bomb Squad is doing the follow-up investigation of all the above incidents. If you have any information that may prove useful to the investigations, please contact 206.684.8980.
Arson Prevention Tips
Because of this recent activity, we want to again give you Fire Prevention information courtesy of the Seattle Fire Department. Help stop arson by taking the following steps: Outside - Lock doors and windows of your home, garage and car. - Remove weeds and grass from around your home. - Remove any trash, boxes or wood stored next to your home. - Lock up gasoline or other liquids that could be used to start a fire. - Trim bushes away from doors and windows. - Leave outside lights on when it is dark. Inside - Test your smoke alarms once a month to make sure they will work in a fire. - Make and practice a fire escape plan. Make a map showing two exits from every room. - Make sure windows and screens can be opened easily from the inside if needed for escape. If you see suspicious activity, report it to 9-1-1 while it is happening. If you have information related to an arson, you can call the Arson Alarm
Hotline at 1-800-55-ARSON (1-800-552-7776). The person providing information may remain
anonymous. A reward may be provided for information that leads to an arson
conviction.
Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe! Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator
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