Police eye person of interest in Snoqualmie arson case

No charges yet for depot, salon, city hall burning

No charges have been filed yet in connection with the three fires set June 30 in downtown Snoqualmie.

However, investigators are looking at a person of interest in the burnings of the Northwest Railway Museum’s 119-year-Snoqualmie Depot, Bella Vita Spa and Salon and Snoqualmie City Hall.

The person of interest is an adult — not a teen, Snoqualmie Police Spokeswoman Becky Munson said.

Police are still investigating the matter as an arson. No one has yet claimed the $10,000 reward, and there is no word on if or when charges will be filed

The fires were set in the early hours of Tuesday, June 30. Someone lit a garbage can on fire on the train platform, then pushed it up against the wall of the freight room. Similarly, fires were set in bins behind the salon, and at the rear wall of city hall.

Repairs at the depot will cost around $6,000 and are slated to wrap in early September.

“It’s a lot more work than even the most educated person would assume,” Railway Museum Exectutive Director Richard Anderson said.

New wood for the wall needs to be an exact match, as does color, and the entire wall section must be repainted.

“It’s just another thing we have to deal with, administratively,” Anderson said. What with running Railroad Days, building a new train shed and running weekly train rides, “we have a pretty full plate.”

• Anyone with information about the fires is asked to call the fire investigator at 1 (800) 55-ARSON.