EVERETT – Hundreds of swimmers were turned away from the Forest Park Swim Center on Monday after a suspicious fire started on the outside of the building, causing about $100,000 in damage.
It was unclear Monday when the city-owned pool will reopen.
About 250 people use the pool daily, including many senior citizens and the Everett High School swim team, said parks and recreation director Susan Francisco. Dan Bates / The Herald
“That’s awful. Why would someone do that?” Mill Creek resident Mary Hilcoske said Monday morning after learning why she was being turned away from her twice-weekly swim. “A lot of seniors use the pool for exercise. It’s the cheapest place to come.”
The pool is usually open seven days a week, offering classes for infants through adults, as well as water aerobics. Nearly 200,000 swimmers use the pool each year.
Four full-time and more than 40 seasonal employees work at the pool. The full-time staff likely will be reassigned during repairs. Hours will be cut for the seasonal employees, mainly high school students, until the pool is reopened, a park official said.
The Everett High School swim team, which uses the pool, finishes its season in a couple of weeks, so it will use the pool at the downtown YMCA this week, a school district official said.
“This is a huge impact on our community,” Francisco said of the fire.
Everett firefighters discovered the fire about 2:50 a.m. after water flowing through the sprinkler system set off an alarm, assistant fire marshal Rick Robinson said.
“The sprinkler system worked and gave us an early warning for a quick response,” he said.
About 20 firefighters fought the fire for about 45 minutes before it was put down. The flames ate away at an exterior wall and spread to the roof on the east corner of the building, which is adjacent to an open field on Alger Avenue. On Monday, it didn’t appear that the fire damaged the pool.
Investigators found evidence at the scene that indicated that the fire was intentionally set, Everett police Sgt. Boyd Bryant said. He wouldn’t say how the fire was started or what evidence was found.
Police haven’t received any other reports of suspicious fires or vandalism in the area in recent weeks, Bryant said.
He wouldn’t say if investigators have any suspects in connection with the fire. Detectives are working potential leads, Bryant said.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked the police tip line at 425-257-8450.
Want to swim?
The Everett Family YMCA, 2720 Rockefeller Ave., offers a 30-day pool pass for $30 for swimmers displaced by the fire at the Forest Park Swim Center. For more information or a pool schedule, visit www. ymca-snoco.org online or call 425-258-9211.
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