Investigators identify Longhorn Barbecue arson suspect, believe he was involved in nearby burglaries

Investigators have identified a suspect in the Monday morning arson fire at Longhorn Barbecue in Spokane Valley and believe he was also involved burglarizing two nearby businesses shortly before the fire.

Spokane Valley deputies arrested 42-year-old Michael J. Kranenburg Monday on suspicion he burglarized Chan’s Bistro and the Goodtymes Pub between 5 and 5:30 a.m., according to court documents. Longhorn Barbecue is about a half-mile away.

Surveillance video of the Longhorn Barbecue fire showed the same suspect from footage of the Chan’s Bistro burglary, court documents say. Kranenburg was arrested wearing the same clothing and in possession of a bike seen in the footage from the incidents. And investigators wrote that an image of the arson suspect’s face matched Kranenburg’s booking photo.

The footage from Longhorn Barbecue showed the suspect loitering around the building, then constructing a shelter out of wooden pallets, a blue tarp and blue trays before 1 a.m., according to court documents. When the suspect lifted up the tarp around 3:30 a.m., an orange glow can be seen from inside. Smoke started coming out of the shelter soon after.

Investigators say the suspect then walked away, made no attempts to extinguish the fire and did not report the fire, according to court documents.

The fire at Longhorn Barbecue started on an exterior wall at the back of the restaurant, and a pot containing ramen noodles was found outside the restaurant near the spot where the fire started. The fire traveled up the wall and into the attic, triggering sprinklers, which saved the building from more extensive damage, according to fire department officials.

Kranenburg was released from the Spokane County Jail on suspicion of burglary and theft Tuesday evening, then rearrested just after midnight on Wednesday on suspicion of unrelated charges, court documents say.

Kranenburg is being held on a $1,000 bond on charges of third-degree assault and malicious mischief, according to jail records. He has not been charged in relation to the fire at Longhorn Barbecue.