Updated: It may not come as a surprise given the circumstances, but Seattle Fire has determined that the two fires on N 36th St. in Fremont were intentionally set.
Firefighters were called out early Christmas Eve morning to a fire in the alley next to Habitude Spa Salon. Less than 30 minutes later, they were called out to another fire a block away at Ounce of Prevention. Both fires originated outside the buildings.
While the second fire was quickly extinguished, the first burned for over an hour. Habitude and Red Star Taco Bar sustained $190,000 in damage, Seattle Fire investigators said. Ounce of Prevention sustained $10,000 in damage.
Art gallery and shop Sfingday was also damaged, and the owners posted a surveillance video on Facebook that certainly appears to show a person lighting a fire at 3:42 a.m. – four minutes before Seattle Fire was dispatched – and then quickly leaving the scene.
SPD’s arson and bomb squad is conducting the investigation and search for the arsonist. If you have any information, please contact (206) 684-8980. Callers can choose to remain anonymous.
“Thanks to everyone who reached out with offers of support, it means the world to us,” said Billy Beckett, the owner of Red Star Taco Bell who posted several damage photos on Facebook, including the one above. “We are waiting to talk to our insurance people but we are confident arson is covered by our policy and this should hopefully be a temporary set back. We will have a lot of cleaning and clearing to do but the show will go on.”
Habitude said it was temporarily moving its stylists and appointments to their Ballard location until they can get back up and running in Fremont.
Also – this may be entirely unrelated, but we thought we’d share. Seattle Fire was called out just before 9 p.m. Christmas Eve night to investigate an individual trying to start a fire in a dumpster behind the Ballard Food Bank, according to a scanner call and dispatch log. A good reminder to keep your eyes open. (Thanks Silver for the tip.)
We need far more police, doing regular patrols.
If you disagree, you are apparently happy with the state of our neighborhood.
Also, by the looks of the person in the video, it certainly looks like one of our neighborhood derilict criminal-homeless individuals. Look for the slumping walk and the blanket.
It’s blazingly obvious what Seattle needs to do to prevent this. And they are not doing it.
“Blazingly”
If this does turn out to be a homeless person, I don’t think too many people will be surprised. I also think the city is running out of the excuses continually used to ‘remove’ the homeless people from any sort of responsibility for their actions, and will eventually have to admit they own some of the fault in the influx of not just unhoused, but also criminal, elements.
@BBB – You really do have to wonder, though. Bums illegally hiding their refuse in a building crawlspace and disturbing a gas pipe is what caused the better part of an entire city block to blow up in Greenwood. A “little” fire at a hair salon/taco shop is probably not going to catch the city’s attention one little bit. Add to all that the fact we will likely have no media follow-up on the criminal if he ever is caught…good times all over the place in Seattle.
Per Mike O’Brien, it wasn’t the “most vulnerable” who were at fault. It was the gas company. Victim status absolves you of all responsibility in Mikey’s world.
It’s blazingly obvious what Seattle needs to do to prevent this. And they are not doing it.
Sounds like you have it all figured out. Can you share what’s “blazingly obvious” that Seattle needs to do to prevent a opportunistic arsonist at 3:42 AM?
Implement an income tax to pay for services for homelessness and mental health? You’re right. They tried, but the conservative Washington legislature made it illegal for cities to do so.
The REFUSE THE SERVICES. How many times does this need to be said, Genius?
You enablers are just as daft as the NeoCons who believed the Iraqis were going to welcome us with open arms and become the 51st state. Congratulations on being part of the electorate who robs the rest of us to pay for people who DO NOT WANT to live normal, functional lives but would rather steal and do drugs on the street.
https://komonews.com/news/local/half-of-homeless-couple-who-just-received-public-lake-city-housing-now-faces-eviction
Full installation of fire protection means is required
Hey, so letting the city fill up with drug addicts and psychos has turned out well.
What next, Liberals? We abandon the germ theory and maybe get rid of refrigeration too?
i identify as someone that doesn’t believe in food borne illness – we’re all different, geez.
Troll