Warehouse Fire Ruled As Arson Arrest Expected Soon, Seattle Papers Report

Officials confirmed Friday that a food-processing warehouse fire that killed four firefighters was deliberately set. They vowed to leave no stone unturned in bringing the “killer or killers to justice.”

“As this case moves forward, I hope that everyone will bear one fact in mind: We are dealing with a homicide investigation,” Mayor Norm Rice said.

At a news conference, Rice and police and fire investigators refused to say whether they had identified any suspects or motive. They also wouldn’t say exactly how the blaze started.

“I can tell you that this investigation is going to take time. We would love to be able to conclude it today, but that is not possible,” Police Chief Norm Stamper said.

“Our responsibility in finding the person or persons responsible for four counts of homicide also requires us to rule out suspects. That process is a lengthy one and one that requires us to follow all of the dictates of law and good police practices.”

KIRO Radio reported that some witnesses were in protective custody. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and The Seattle Times, quoting unidentified sources, reported an arrest was expected soon.

The police chief would only hint that investigators have strong leads.

“We’re certainly not starting from scratch, but we have a lengthy investigation in front of us,” Stamper said.

The four firefighters died when the floor collapsed beneath them during the five-alarm blaze Jan. 5 at the Mary Pang’s Food Products warehouse near the Kingdome, south of downtown.”It stopped because nothing had materialized to make us think that this was a valid threat,” Harris said.

The owners, Mary and Harry Pang, said the day after the fire that they weren’t aware of any threats. The Pangs started their business in the 1950s, producing a line of precooked, frozen Chinese food under the label “Mary Pang’s.”

In its heyday in the early 1980s, the company employed about 20 people and was grossing more than $1 million annually. But business dwindled, and Harry Pang said last week the company was down to about 10 workers.

Mary Pang has said she and her husband reduced their insurance coverage late last year because they could no longer afford the $2,000-a-month premium. Their payments dropped to just over $1,000 a month.

xxxx