The Seattle Fire Department says four fires around Greenwood in the last two months — three of them in just the last two days – are the work of one or more arsonists.
The most serious of the fires broke out yesterday at 108 NW 84th St. A 50-year-old man suffered burn injuries and was taken to Harborview Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries. Damage to the home totaled $170,000. The Red Cross is assisting the family, and we’ve been told neighbors are setting up a fund to help the family. We’ll have more information on that soon. Here’s more information and here’s some video from the scene.
Also yesterday, investigators say an arson fire was set at 1111 N. 98th St. at 3:21 a.m. Two occupants of an apartment above the office were able to exit the building safely. Firefighters arrived to find a small fire in the office area on the first floor. Damage to the business totaled $15,000.
On Wednesday, a fire at a house at 7708 Greenwood Ave. N., just behind the building housing Wish and Moon Photo, is also classified as arson. That fire was only on the outside and damage was limited to $100. No one was inside at the time.
And on June 19th, an arsonist started a fire at 8733 Greenwood Ave. N. in the basement of OK Corral BBQ, which closed several months ago, so the building is vacant. Damage was estimated at $500.
Seattle Police is investigating, and they have no suspects. Residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the Arson Alarm Hotline number at 1-800-55-ARSON.
Investigators have not determined if the fires are connected. Firefighters will be out in our neighborhood today distributing Arson Watch flyers with tips on how you can protect your home or business. Here’s a summary:
Outside:
- Lock doors and windows of your home and garage.
- Clear carport areas of anything that could fuel a fire.
- Clean up wastepaper, long grass, weeds, litter, or anything that can burn from around buildings.
- Locate dumpsters, recycling bins and yard waste containers at least five feet away from combustible walls and openings of roof eave lines.
- Do not allow waste, recycle or yard waste containers to become overfilled.
- Trim shrubbery away from doors and windows to improve visibility.
- Leave indoor and outdoor lighting on during hours of darkness. Consider installing devices that automatically turn on outdoor lights when they sense darkness or movement outside the home.
Inside:
- Test your smoke alarms once a month to make sure they will work in a fire.
- Plan and practice a home fire drill. Be sure to have a family meeting place.
- Obtain an escape ladder for bedrooms located on the second floor. Make sure windows and screens can be opened easily from the inside if needed for escape.
17 responses so far ↓
1 Neighbor // Aug 14, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Great. Another summer of this? Whatever happened to the purported arsonist a few years back who they supposedly chased down in Canada?
2 SPG // Aug 14, 2009 at 3:53 pm
If he’s out on parole now, I’d think at the least they’d want to talk to him.
3 JW // Aug 14, 2009 at 3:54 pm
what a scumbag, I hope they catch this guy soon.
4 CHmom // Aug 14, 2009 at 4:08 pm
How scary, I was thinking these fires had to be connected. Guess we just have to be vigilant, and make sure our smoke alarms are working.
5 Ole Clunker // Aug 14, 2009 at 4:12 pm
It’s probably those graffiti teens.
6 AG // Aug 14, 2009 at 5:34 pm
An officer from the SFD just came around distributing flyers; I told him that I just read the news on PhinneyWood
. He mentioned that houses / buildings with alleys seem to be particular targets so far. (As for the “graffiti teens,” you’d think in that case the arsonist(s) would be hitting the parks, but apparently that’s not the case.) Be careful, folks!
7 Ole Clunker // Aug 14, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Why hit the parks?
8 Ole Clunker // Aug 14, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Let’s see, who is usually wandering around late at night? Who is always making messes all over Greenwood with the spray paint? Who is out there at three AM scratching on the storefront windows? Yeah, it’s the graffiti bomb squad that’s who. Zero!
9 Womble // Aug 14, 2009 at 9:43 pm
“Let’s see, who is usually wandering around late at night”
- this fire yesterday was in broad daylight people!!!.
Arsonists are the scum of the Earth
10 Ole Clunker // Aug 14, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Several of the fires were at night.
11 john walker // Aug 16, 2009 at 12:38 pm
keep an eye on that wierd white haired transient with the ripped brown jacket who shuffles around talking to himself, yelling occasionally. haven’t seen him in a long while, then he’s back in the area right around the time of the fires. not saying he’s in any way related, but worth watching. just another neighborhood nutcase, but…..
12 Christie (Neighbor of Sal and Family) // Aug 16, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Hello!
We are so happy to live in a neighborhood where people care and are so willing to reach out to a family in need. We are accepting donations at our house at 104 NW 84th ST in Seattle. We are right next door to the family that lost their home. We’ve had the opportunity to meet many of our neighbors through this tragedy and thank you for stopping by. We are in contact with the Granillo family daily and are getting your donations to them every other day or so. They are very thankful for your help and support. It was heartbreaking to watch our neighbors lose everything and not be able to do anything to help them. I can’t even imagine the overwhelming task of replacing a lifetimes worth of belongings. All of your donations are welcome and I’ve included sizes for each family member below.
Warm regards,
Christie & Jeremiah
Salvador Granillo Family Clothing Sizes:
Salvador (dad) pants 32/32 and shirts med to large
Sal’s wife: Pants size 9 shirts Med
Oldest Son age 13: pants 32/32 and shirts Large
Oldest daughter age 10: size 16 pants in girls or juniors section and large t-shirts
Youngest son age 2: size 3
Youngest daughter age 4: size 6
13 Altoes // Aug 16, 2009 at 4:59 pm
The people that frequent that alley have left their names all over the walls. Not too hard to figure it out.
14 etta // Aug 16, 2009 at 5:55 pm
If houses on alleys are particularly at risk (see @6) its probably a good idea to install a motion sensor light on the alley side.
15 Womble // Aug 16, 2009 at 10:28 pm
john walker: I think that guy you are talking about is crazy Jerry……always drunk, talks to himself all the time, shouts random obscenities as he walks/rides the neighborhood…..
16 Harris // Nov 3, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Hey guys,
I have lived in Greenwood for over 19 years and never do I remember a problem like this. Just last night my mother’s apartment building between 134th and 136th and Greenwood was set to flames. They suspect it is the Greenwood arsonist. Having lived in that building for many years I am aware of where he set the fire. It was set in a central location and he propped all doors open with things like rocks and pieces of brick. The suspect does not sound like an amateur to me. This is someone with a disruptive self-concept and we need to catch him. Keep your eyes open and your ears peeled. This is Greenwood were talking about.
17 GreenwoodNeighbor // Nov 11, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Neighbors,
Just to be clear, arson and graffiti are very different crimes, perpetrated by very different kinds of people. Arsons is a criminal act, started by an arsonist, who is often seriously mentally ill. This arson sounds experienced and more sophisticated than a graffiti “tagger”.
Graffiti, while it is a nuisance, doesn’t cause serious damage and is usually carried out by bored teens. Lets not get carried away and confuse a serious felony act with a petty misdemeanor. Focus on likely suspects and hopefully this person will be caught soon.
Be safe.
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