Fire-Safety Honoree Wanted For Apartment Arson

A teenager who won a fire-prevention safety award in 1992 is being sought in an arson fire at an apartment house.

Evan Pravdenko, 16, was named in a warrant issued Wednesday.

Deputy Prosecutor Joe Golden said authorities have not located the teen, who does not attend school and has been known to travel around the country.

A Feb. 20 fire at the 16-unit apartment building gutted the structure and caused more than $200,000 in damage. There were no serious injuries, but all the residents had to move.

A 5-year-old boy told law officers he saw Pravdenko light a bag of clothes on fire in a laundry room after a dispute with a resident.

Pravdenko and his parents, immigrants from the Ukraine, moved to Walla Walla six years ago. In 1992, he won $20 in a “Fire-Busters” fireprevention safety program.