A detached garage was damaged in what investigators are calling a string of 10 arsons late Monday night. Police and fire officials continue to investigate.
Officials are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for more than a dozen arsons reported over the past few days in Vancouver.
Police and fire officials are investigating 15 fires that they say were intentionally set Monday night and overnight Friday, all in neighborhoods on the city’s west side. No one was reported injured in any of the blazes, which happened in the Shumway, Lincoln, Carter Park and Hough neighborhoods.
Ten of the fires happened late Monday night, damaging property including garbage and recycling receptacles, fences and part of a Mazda truck.
Five other fires had previously been reported Saturday morning; three flags were destroyed, along with a paper bag on a front porch.
Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said that the fires are related. And while the monetary damage amount isn’t astronomical, Scarpelli said, residential fires set intentionally are twice as likely to be fatal as unintentional residential fires.
“What’s so worrisome to me is the potential for loss of life,” she said. “That’s why we’re pulling the trigger right away for the $10,000 reward.”
A person was seen running away from one of the scenes, Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said, but because it was dark outside at the time, investigators do not have a suspect description.
One of the fires Monday night severely damaged a detached garage in the 300 block of West 25th Street. Sarah Krause, 32, went to lock her back door just after 11 p.m. when she saw something odd in her neighbor’s yard.
“Flames were above the garage,” she said. “It looked like they were having a bonfire, but knowing our neighbors, I knew it wasn’t right.”
Her neighbor is a teacher who has a baby, and they’d never had a bonfire before. Krause called her husband, who ran outside. They realized that their neighbor’s garage was on fire and called 911.
Krause pounded on her neighbor’s door and held their baby boy while her neighbor got the animals out of the house.
“We were concerned not knowing how fast it would spread,” Krause said. “Everyone’s house is very close, and it could have gotten out of hand very quickly.”
While firefighters put out the blaze, Krause said, she heard several other fires reported on their emergency radios.
“It was really sad to watch them having to put this fire out and hearing more,” Krause said. “It’s sad that people would go around destroying property. It’s very unsettling. … I hope they’re caught and no one else has to deal with this.”
Brian Luderman, who lives in the 500 block of West 34th Street, said that he woke up at about 3:45 a.m. Saturday morning to the fire department extinguishing flames that damaged his recycling container and a 10-foot section of fence.
“My initial response is, why would somebody go around and do this? Who would want to intentionally cause this kind of damage to property? It’s really quite befuddling,” he said.
Then, on Tuesday morning, he passed by a neighbor whose recycling container also was damaged in a fire.
“It was almost exactly like what happened to me,” he said. “Then I was really concerned.”
He read about the string of arsons in The Columbian and called fire investigators on Tuesday so that his incident was included in the ongoing investigation.
The Vancouver Police Arson Unit is working with the Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office to investigate the incidents. The reward is being offered through the Arson Alarm Foundation.
“Based on experience with similar patterns, it has the potential to escalate,” Scarpelli said. “That’s why we’re treating this extremely seriously and putting a lot of resources on follow-ups and leads right now.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Vancouver arson team 24 hours a day at 360-607-7991.
Scarpelli also warned residents to be proactive with arson prevention by illuminating exterior and interior entrances, removing combustibles from garages and carports, and locking doors and windows. She asked that residents report suspicious people or vehicles, including license plate numbers, to police.
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