Arson blamed in eatery fire

A fire that gutted a Millwood restaurant early Monday was deliberately set, investigators said Wednesday.

Spokane Valley firefighters, working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, now believe someone broke into Susie’s Steak and Seafood early Monday and started the blaze that destroyed the inside of the business at 9611 E. Trent Ave.

The fire erupted between 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. It was spotted by a newspaper carrier who had delivered a paper to the business and noticed nothing, then found it on fire an hour later while returning from his route.

No one has been ruled out as a suspect, said David Lobdell, Spokane Valley Fire deputy chief, and investigators are being tight-lipped about their findings.

“Arson has more range in motives than any other crime. So, there are many possibilities,” Lobdell said. “I know our investigators have several leads, but I’ll stop short of saying they have suspects.”

By Wednesday, investigators had turned the burned restaurant back over to its owner, Marlow Enterprises Inc. Susie’s is a second-generation restaurant started by Leonard and Susie Marlow.

Leonard Marlow II currently holds the restaurant’s liquor license and is the registered agent for Marlow Enterprises Inc. The Marlows have not responded to interview requests.

Monday’s arson wasn’t the first for the bar. In 1983, when the establishment was The Great Wall, a Marlow-owned Chinese-American Restaurant, it was burned after hours by an arsonist who used a flammable liquid to light two fires in the building.

The now-defunct Millwood Fire Department, which investigated The Great Wall fire, concluded that someone hid inside the building, then came out after closing and started the blaze.

Then-Chief Carl Durr told The Spokesman-Review the arsonist was probably a disgruntled patron who previously threatened to destroy the business.

Monday wasn’t the first time the business was broken into, either.

In early 2002, two masked burglars broke into Susie’s Steak and Seafood after hours and tried to crack the business safe by boring into it.

A janitor surprised the burglars when he came to work at 4:30 a.m.

There were no workers at Susie’s when it burned Monday. The business had been closed for remodeling.