LYNNWOOD
Fires have partially burned three commercial buildings since July 20.
And it’s likely those fires were not accidents, though each fire appears to have been set by different people, Fire Marshal LeRoy McNulty said.
For the most part, arsonists strike once and that’s it. The exception to that is in the case of serial arsonists, he said.
“Typically, it’s a one-time thing for monetary benefit or revenge,” McNulty said. “Unfortunately, this is kind of a cyclical thing we run into every couple of years.”
A roof fire Sunday, July 29, at a vacant Lynnwood business could have been a lot worse if witnesses hadn’t called 911, officials said.
Moments before they saw flames, witnesses told police they watched a man throw a bottle of flammable liquid onto the building, then drive away in a white van, said Marybeth O’Leary, a Lynnwood Fire Department spokeswoman.
The attempted arson was reported about 11:30 a.m. in the 19700 block of Scriber Lake Road, O’Leary said.
“It was amazing they were able to see all that and give a good report to the police and call the fire department,” she said. “It turned what could have been a very bad incident into something minor.”
Police are investigating the fire, Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said.
No arrests have been made and police are following leads, she said. Detectives aren’t yet certain if the bottle was a Molotov cocktail or some other type of incendiary device.
Firefighters were able to douse the flames quickly, limiting damage to the roof, she said. The fire didn’t go into the vacant building and no one was hurt.
McNulty said the fire caused about $1,000 damage.
“The most positive thing about all this is that witnesses called 911,” Sessions said. “This could have been a lot worse.”
On Monday, July 30, someone set fire to Aaron’s Sales and Lease, 20321 Highway 99, causing an estimated $2,000 damage, O’Leary said.
“I think it scorched the outside of the building,” she said.
Witnesses spotted two youths outside the building prior to the fire and they were seen quickly leaving the scene, she said.
The youths are thought to have used a match or lighter to start the fire, Sessions said. The building was not seriously damaged.
Investigators are also looking into a fire that burned one building at the vacated Scriber Lake High School 20525 52nd Ave. W. That early morning fire caused an estimated $20,000 damage.
Objects that could be used to start a fire should be removed from the outside of buildings, McNulty said.
Two years ago, 30 dumpsters were set on fire in a commercial area.
“We sent out our inspectors and canvassed the area, asking people to move garbage away from the buildings. We were fairly successful at that,” he said.
A review of data showed inspectors that the fire was likely set by a juvenile, he added.
“Typically, furniture stores will empty their boxes and put them just outside the back door,” McNulty said. “Those are primary targets.”
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