Three fires in Snoqualmie Friday are investigated as arson

Published 5:21 pm Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Both police and firefighters responded to three fires within 45 minutes on Friday, April 29, on Snoqualmie Ridge. The fires damaged play equipment at a park on Stellar Way S.E. and on Fern Avenue S.E. a traffic cone and a garbage can were burned.

Snoqualmie Fire Captain Mike Bailey said the fire at Stellar Park was started by burning garbage which melted the bottom of the plastic play area. The fire was reported by neighbors who then went out and put it out before firefighters arrived.

The second fire reported was a burning traffic cone on the fence of a resident of Fern Avenue Southeast. As a resident went to put out the cone, he saw a garbage can also on fire and reported that to the firefighters.

Due to the suspicious nature of the fires, the department called for a King County fire investigator.

The fires were extinguished with no injuries and very little property damage. The incidents are considered acts of arson and are currently under investigation.

“We haven’t received the investigator’s report yet,” Bailey said. “Because of what was burned it was clearly a person who started it, it wasn’t naturally occurring.”

Any information about these fires should be reported to the Snoqualmie Fire Department at (425) 888-1551.