4-alarm Queen Anne fire ruled as arson

Meghan Walker Ballard

In a surprising turn of events, the massive 4-alarm fire that burned five buildings over the weekend in north Queen Anne has been determined arson.

After a thorough investigation of the fire, the Seattle Fire Department investigators determined that it was intentionally set. The total estimated loss is $4.3 million — that includes all the impacted structures and contents within. The department says it’s the largest fire in Seattle in the past eight years.

According to SFD, five structures were destroyed in the fire that started Saturday evening around 8:40pm at the Gascoigne Lumber Co. warehouse. Nearby power lines were destroyed, cutting power for surrounding areas.  Multiple vehicles burned, and a waterfront residence and trailer also sustained damage. There were no reported injuries in the fire.

The fire isn’t fully out yet — the fire department tweeted the above photo this morning, as firefighters continue to put out hot spots. SFD says clean-up efforts are underway.

Seattle Police Department’s Arson and Bomb Squad are taking over the investigation — any info relating to the fire can be given to SPD at 206-684-8980.

22 thoughts to “4-alarm Queen Anne fire ruled as arson”

  1. Ah neat more “vibrancy” from one of our vulnerable community members, perhaps?
    I seem to recall a firebug up on Greenwood a couple years ago.

  2. Why is this a surprise? They torched the Elks a few days earlier (1/2 mile down the bike path) and we allow these vagrants to camp anywhere they wish. It’s time for us folks who obey the law to take back our city!

  3. The people who started these fires obviously need help. It may or may not be one of the campers. We need better social services, but nobody wants to pay for it. Especially conservatives. So we get the life we deserve.

    1. Yes, this is clearly the fault of conservatives. Because we don’t have an ENTIRELY DEMOCRATIC CITY and PASS EVERY TAX AND PROGRAM.
      We might have ENOUGH FOR THE POOR AMERICANS if we didn’t decide to take in THE ENTIRE 3RD WORLD and pay for their 50 kids on the taxpayer dime, Genius.

      Seattle Times: Republicans in KIng County are Extinct
      Liberals: All Seattle’s crime problems are fault of conservatives

      Enjoying that gang war escalation here in Ciudad Santuario, Amigo?

    2. Do we really need more “social services,” or do we need more law and order, and somebody to kick some ass in the direction of those who want their “freedom” lifestyle, while they do damage to the rest of us. One has to wonder how many lumber yards and other businesses around here are afraid of arson. Green Bean Coffee shop in Greenwood was burned to the ground along with the Taproot Theatre a couple years back – by some druggie homeless asshole who tried to cover up a robbery. I think I am for the latter, after seeing how, for the most part, “social services” and lots of Seattle freebies simply don’t work. This, of course, is while the rest of us are expected to be “tolerant.” And, if some druggies committed these acts of arson, and it can be proven in court, lock them up and throw away the key.

      1. And, if some druggies committed these acts of arson, and it can be proven in court, lock them up and throw away the key.

        Please name a situation where an arsonist, “druggie homeless asshole” or not, was caught and convicted, but not locked up or sent to a mental hospital.

        I’ll wait.

        1. No need to wait. You apparently missed the part about throw away the key. Too many mentally ill on the street who shouldn’t be there. Supervised environment only. Is’nt Martin Pang free these days? Should have just hung him.

          1. You apparently missed the part about throw away the key.

            If you don’t like current sentencing guidelines, then petition the United States Sentencing Commission, which is part of the judicial system, currently under the command of your BFF Trump. He’s “tough on crime”, right?

            Should have just hung him.

            Ah yes, the tough guy facade: kill ’em all and let God sort ’em out, because Capital Punishment TOTALLY works to deter crime. Good thing we don’t have “tough guys” like you on our Sentencing Commission.

          2. No tough gal/guy, here. Oh, yes, and theories of redemption in operation seem to be working so well. Turn ’em loose to do more bad deeds, and society absorbs the pain and the costs for exactly how long? Think there are some of your buds -even those not caught and have outstanding warrants- on the street right now. Probably a half-dozen had breakfast at St. Luke’s this morning.

          3. So your solution is to lock all the homeless up forever, criminal or not, just for being homeless, because there may be a criminal among them?

            OK…

            Oh, yes, and theories of redemption in operation seem to be working so well.

            Well, considering our justice system is one of punishment rather than rehabilitation, what do you expect? Any other first world country will tell you that a punishment only justice system is going to have a way higher rate of recidivism than one that also rehabilitates.

            The problem is, too many “tough guys” like you are in charge that perpetuate the anachronistic, punishment only system and, well here we are!

    1. Let’s assume we did have an adequately staffed and funded SPD.
      We’d then be faced with the herculean task of convincing the Mayor and CC to let them ENFORCE THE LAWS.

      We can’t have that sort of nonsense in Cat Lady La La Latte Land. Up is down and bad is good in Seattle. Resist! Go Hawks! Muh NHL dreams!

  6. hope they catch the maniac soon.

    the Greenwood arsonist a few years back was a vagrant as i recall and there are plenty of them, well, all over the place but along the BG trail especially.

    1. And, the explosion in Greenwood last year was caused by vagrants (sorry, “vulnerable community members”) who damaged the gas pipeline.

      1. Well, I guess that is right too – another bunch of deadbeat druggies involved in that one: Danny Westneat in a Seattle Times piece says:
        ” [Bike shop owner] Sokolowski says his only connection to this mess, other than being a victim of it, is that his window looks out over the alley where it happened. He had called 911 repeatedly in the months preceding the blast to try to bring the alley’s drug dealing and a bicycle “chop shop” to the attention of police. But he says the police never did anything.

        In other interviews by the fire investigator, two homeless men describe storing bike parts and other belongings in a crawl space where the old gas pipe was sticking out of the ground. ”

        https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/puget-sound-energys-blame-game-misses-its-mark-in-greenwood-gas-blast/

        Wasn’t there another abandoned house (awaiting demolition) that was set afire by some squatters a few months back, maybe on 80th or 85th east of 24th Ave. NW?

        How many millions of dollars of damages are some of these drugging street camper assholes responsible for in the last 4 years?

      3. MO’B lays the blame on the utility company, ‘natch. His FB posts at the time are comedy genius. Those pipes would have disconnected themselves. And the company didn’t have multi-language notices posted that opening gas pipes can be hazardous to your health. Oppression, you know. And what _really_ ticked Bikey O’Brien off? One of his biking buddies isn’t able to pursue a tort claim against the utility.

  7. Wow big surprise, I called it as soon as I saw smoke. Who knew that allowing camps full of drug addicted, deviant sex offenders and parolees lay around the ground in Ballard with zero police intervention would lead to danger and crimes?

    1. Wow big surprise, I called it as soon as I saw smoke. Who knew that allowing camps full of drug addicted, deviant sex offenders and parolees lay around the ground in Ballard with zero police intervention would lead to danger and crimes?

      Good thing that our City’s investigators don’t take into account the delusional rantings of a sensationalist neighborhood blog sockpuppet.

      Get help.

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