Police arrest arson suspect

A man suspected of setting a Spokane apartment building ablaze shortly after Thanksgiving, injuring three people, was taken into custody Wednesday.

Kane Maxwell McKee, 40, of Spokane, is charged with first-degree arson, first-degree assault and two counts of attempted first-degree assault in connection with a Nov. 24 fire at 1514 W. Ninth Ave., Assistant Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said in a news release.

Authorities said the blaze was started just outside the third-floor apartment door in the stairwell using a wicker chair and other combustible items that blocked the only exit.

The three men living in that apartment had to be rescued from the roof.

One man suffered burns and was eventually transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to be treated for serious injuries.

He has since been released.

The two other men were treated at Sacred Heart Medical Center and released.

The fire displaced eight people, including McKee, Schaeffer said. The structure is still not habitable because of damage that was estimated at more than $120,000.

Officials say the motive may have been a previous relationship between two men who lived in separate apartment units inside the home. McKee had been involved with a man who lived on the third floor.

Witnesses told investigators they heard McKee threatening to burn the house down in the days leading up to the arson.

McKee was arrested in Liberty Lake, where he was living, Schaeffer said.