Investigators Say 3-Alarm Beacon Hill Fire Was Set Intentionally

SEATTLE, WA — A fire that burned four buildings under construction on Beacon Hill and caused an estimated $5 million in damage was set intentionally, investigators said.

The fire started early Thursday on the 1000 block of Sturgus Avenue South, near Interstate 90, according to the Seattle Fire Department. Flames soon spread from the first building on the construction site to three others, and all four suffered heavy damage.

According to Seattle Fire, the response was upgraded to a 2-alarm, then a 3-alarm, bringing 14 fire engines and four ladder trucks to help establish a steady supply of water. No injuries were reported in the fire.

Officials said a house and condo to the left of the burning structures were temporarily evacuated. Other neighbors were advised to close their windows and doors to avoid smoke exposure. Transportation officials briefly closed some eastbound lanes of Interstate 90, as embers from the fire fell onto the freeway. All lanes reopened by 6:30 a.m.

Crews remained at the scene for several hours to investigate how the blaze began. Thursday evening, Seattle Fire said the fire appeared to be an act of arson and referred the case to the Seattle Police Department's Arson and Bomb Squad. According to fire officials, crews have recently seen an uptick in set fires, with 10 "significant fires" in the vicinity of Beacon Hill and Rainier Avenue South.

Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins told Q13 Fox that arson and bomb squad investigators are considering the possibility that the 10 blazes in the area were set by the same person.

According to the report, all 10 fires were contained to three areas and set between 2 and 5 a.m.

"In the last 30 days in the area around Rainier and Beacon Hill, our arson investigators and SPD arson bomb squad has identified ten fires in this area that have been intentionally set," Scoggins told the news outlet