By reporter Steven Smalley
New information just revealed to Magnolia Voice by neighbors near 32nd Avenue West and West Jameson Street indicates an arson was attempted at a nearby apartment building under construction. Neighbors say on or about April 10, diesel fuel was poured throughout the entire building on all floors with an ignition system rigged to set it ablaze. The igniter did not function as planned, according to those who were interviewed by Seattle Police and Fire Departments, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the FBI. Subsequently, no fire occurred.
Sources say the apartment building has been a bone of contention with nearby homeowners. Some say it’s out of character with the neighborhood and blocks views. Attempts to force the city to stop construction failed, according to those with knowledge of the situation.
A call to the Seattle Fire Department for additional information was not immediately returned.
Along the same line, two suspicious fires were set Friday night in the Magnolia neighborhood with emergency crews responding. The initial blaze was ignited in wet shrubbery adjacent to the Magnolia Court Apartments just south of Albertson’s. Flames reached as high as 20 feet along the side of the building which melted some of the vinyl siding and broke a window. Witnesses inside Albertson’s say they saw kids running past the store laughing and pointing towards the fire. Store management turned over video to investigators who are not sharing it with the public, according to a report on KIRO 7 News.
Just an hour later another fire set in shrubbery by the side of a residence under construction on 29th Avenue West near the dog park was reported to Magnolia Voice by a reader. There was no damage to the building.
Investigations are still underway with no indication of who set the blazes, according to an official from the Seattle Fire Department.
