Our View: Help solve arson fires

In April 2003, an arsonist started a fire in the West Central neighborhood that burned up Castle Rock Industries, a wood products remanufacturing business. Victor Frazier, West Central Community Center board member, remembers well the lasting damage from that fire.

“It employed something like 22 people. And most of them walked to work, because they didn’t have cars. Fires are emotionally and economically devastating,” he said.

West Central, one of Spokane’s lower-income neighborhoods, has been in the news lately due to a rash of fires. There were 23 fire “incidents” in the West Central area from April to the beginning of September. Half of those were purposely set fires, according to Brian Schaeffer, Spokane’s assistant fire chief. In the early hours of Aug. 29, three homes and one vehicle were set on fire. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured. Unfortunately, no one has yet been caught.

In North Idaho, six weeks passed between the arson fire at Capone’s Pub and Grill and an arrest in the case. Richard Hanlon, owner of a rival sports bar, was arrested Wednesday morning in connection with the July 25 fire that burned Capone’s to a shell. Speedy arrests are the exception rather than the rule. Most arsonists are never caught, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

And the arsonists who are apprehended don’t fit neatly into profiles. Studies do show that more men than women start intentional fires, and arsonists are more likely to be white than members of minority groups. The main motivators include anger, thrill-seeking and economic gain. Serial arsonists often have deeply rooted psychological problems.

Spokane fire officials don’t believe a serial arsonist is at work in the neighborhood, but gang involvement is a possibility. They are asking citizens to help them solve these West Central arson fires. Be watchful for suspicious activity. Don’t hesitate to report these activities, no matter how inconsequential they might seem.

West Central is in a fragile, but exciting, transition now. More fires at this point could threaten the new businesses, the new and expanded social service agencies and the remodeled homes popping up there. After the 2003 fire, Castle Rock Industries rebuilt – but not in West Central.

“My concern is that another business will be driven out by whoever is doing this,” Frazier said. Keep your eyes open, he urges. What you see and report might save lives, property – and the future of a neighborhood.