Group honors Arlington woman who limited arson damage to Lakewood Elementary School

Published 10:36 pm Thursday, May 28, 2009

MARYSVILLE — Without a doubt, Dawn Taylor did the right thing.

When the Arlington woman saw smoke coming from the Lakewood Elementary School last July, she helped fight the flames. When investigators later turned to her for help, she provided information that led to the arrest of a teenage arsonist.

For her role as a witness, Taylor last week was honored with a special award from the Arson Alarm Foundation.

“We want to encourage citizens to step forward with information on arson fires,” Northwest Insurance Council spokesman Darrin Sanger said.

The group sponsors the Arson Alarm Foundation and its statewide mission to prevent arsons.

With the arson award, the group aims to recognize people willing to step forward and do the right thing, Sanger said.

Statistics show that more than 80 percent of the nation’s arsons go unpunished, Sanger said. “If a witness gets involved, that can make the difference between an arson unsolved or an arsonist behind bars,” he said.

The evening of the fire, Taylor was watching school football practice. She and other people who were nearby noticed smoke. They called 911. They rushed to the building, smashed windows to get at fire extinguishers and fought to keep the flames from reaching the roof.

The fire, started in a recycling bin, caused $500,000 in damage, Sanger said.

Arsons cause millions of dollars in damage every year and put firefighters and police officers at needless risk, Sanger said.

Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.