Officials from Renton and King County are investigating a series of three fires that occurred within 40 minutes of each during Thursday’s early morning hours, including a fire at a construction trailer near a Jehovah’s Witness Hall that officials are investigating as an arson.
Investigators do not believe the fires are related.
According to Lead Fire Inspector Phil Cane, the first call came in at 2:57 a.m. Firefighters were dispatched to Heritage Glen Condominium complex in the 14130 block of Southeast 171st Street for a report of a dumpster fire. Cane said the fire was not close to a structure and not particularly dangerous.
Because the fire, which is considered suspicious, is outside the city boundary, the King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
Firefighters were able to contain and put out that fire relatively quickly, which is good because at 3:23 a.m. a second call came in, this one about a brush fire in a homeless camp off Talbot Road.
Firefighters dispatched the “brush Rig” from Station 17 in Fairwood, which contains smaller hose lines and other brush fire tools. That fire was contained to a 10-foot-by-10-foot area and fire inspectors believe it was accidental.
At 3:27 a.m. the call for a third fire came in, this one at the Jehovah’s Witness Hall in the 16000 block of 116th Avenue Southeast, where witnesses reported hearing explosions.
Firefighers responded to find a fire at a consturction trailer on the site located next to the building. Cane said the fire used construction and landscape debris as fuel and investogators belive the explosions were caused by aerosol cans exploding and were simply a result of the fire, not the cause.
Cane said the fire caused “very minor damage” to the hall.
“It could have been much worse,” he said.
Investigators believe the fire at the hall was intentionally set and are investigating it as an arson.
Cane said homeowners and business owners should be aware of debris outside and around their buildings that could become “targets of opportunity” to those “predisposed to light fires.”
He also encouraged anyone with information on any of the blazes to call 911 or the arson hotline at 800-55-ARSON (27766).
