SNOHOMISH – Fires that destroyed two new homes and damaged two others early this morning are the work of an arsonist, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
About 1:15 a.m. a neighbor in the upscale Lobo Development in the 12400 block of 80th Street was woken by the fires and called for help.
When firefighters arrived, two houses were fully engulfed by flames. Firefighters and sheriff’s deputies searched other vacant houses in the area and discovered a failed ignition in one house across the street and a small fire in a house down the block, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen.
There is no word on why the houses were targeted. The sheriff’s office has stepped up patrol at new construction areas, Jorgensen said.
All four houses were vacant. One had been sold and the owner expected to move in at the end of the month. Three others were still for sale. Damage is estimated about $800,000. The homes generally sell for about $350,000.
No one was hurt in the blazes.
The Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s Office and federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco are investigating the fires.
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