Seattle sees highest number of arsons in 5 years

In the early morning of Oct. 23, Seattle firefighters responded to a small rubbish fire outside the Mount Baker Community Club.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames. Soon after, they were clear: The fire was intentionally set, board director Betsy Kerlin Pyun recalled. The club canceled its events for a day because of the strong smell of smoke, but the building only had minor damage. Still, Kerlin Pyun said, the incident was jarring.

“We’re looking at expanding our surveillance, but even with surveillance that doesn’t necessarily deter,” she said. “The real concern is that everybody is just scared.

As 2025’s arsons climb, residents, business owners, housebuilders and more have been on edge. Seattle police reported 33 arsons in October, the highest of any month in the past five years, according to the department’s crime dashboard. Many were clustered in South Seattle neighborhoods.

A string of at least eight fires were set in one night, starting shortly after midnight Oct. 17. The fires stretched from North Beacon Hill to Mount Baker, and are suspected to be the work of one person.

Fires near constructions sites and vacant buildings, or sections of buildings, in the Central District and Mount Baker were also intentionally set over six days.

Seattle police said they don’t know how many are connected and are investigating. So far this year, Seattle police have made 25 arrests on suspicion of arson, according to the department’s arrest dashboard, with six in October. It’s unclear how many have been referred to prosecutors.

Whether they are connected or isolated, those nearby are noticing the uptick.

Surveillance video captured a person setting fire on Oct. 22 to a North Beacon Hill building that houses the restaurant Saffron Spice.

That fire started at about 7:30 a.m. as workers were preparing for the day, said owner Cajetan Mendonca. According to Mendonca, video showed a person in a corner of the building, and the flames “shot straight up, right up.”

Saffron Spice is on the other side of the structure, so it didn’t damage the kitchen, but Mendonca was still worried.

A week before, he said, someone lit two dumpsters on fire a block away from the restaurant. He’s noticed an increase in fires reported near Rainier Avenue, though he’s not sure how many are malicious or how many are from homeless people trying to keep warm.

“If there is clear evidence like security footage, that will increase the likelihood that Seattle police will investigate it,” Seattle Fire Department spokesperson David Cuerpo said, noting fires that accidentally spread are not treated the same as arson.

In the Saffron Spice case, surveillance footage pointed to arson, and the suspect’s photo was sent to Seattle police officers, according to the department.

“If the firetruck hadn’t come on time, the whole building would have burned down,” said Mendonca. “It was really, really lucky, I think. Thank God.”

Immediate arrests followed some incidents.

A permanent supportive housing complex near Yesler Terrace was extensively damaged Oct. 24 from smoke from a fire in one of the rooms, and the water used to douse flames. Residents told detectives they had seen a neighbor fleeing the apartment building after the fire.

The Seattle Fire Department’s investigative unit found two seemingly intentionally set fires on a mattress and in a clothing pile in a grocery basket, as well as a handheld butane touch, according to King County Superior Court documents.

David Lawrence Tait Jr., a resident of the complex, was charged with first-degree reckless burning.

Two days later, in Wallingford, a fire began in an RV and spread to a home, requiring 88 firefighters to extinguish the blaze, according to the Fire Department. William C. Williamson, who lived in the trailer, was charged with first-degree arson after police said he told an officer he poured rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer in a garbage bag and lit the bag with a torch, according to court documents.

For the fires intentionally set in the Central District, Mount Baker and North Beacon Hill, the Arson Alarm Foundation is offering an award from its $10,000 award fund for anyone with information that leads to an arrest or conviction.

The foundation typically processes two to five awards per year, ranging from $500 to $2,500 per award, according to Kenton Brine, president of the nonprofit NW Insurance Council, a foundation contributor and board member of the Arson Alarm Foundation.

The Fire Department noted several intentionally set fires in similar areas in July and early August.

One of the fires destroyed three residences being built at 33rd Avenue South and South Hanford Street in the early morning of July 30. Sloan Ritchie, owner of Cascade Rebuilt, the company constructing the units, has since been dealing with the fallout of insurance and rebuilding.

Seeing the site burned to the ground was “pretty upsetting and very costly,” Richie said. He’s since been dealing with the stresses of insurance, along with rebuilding.

The structures were completed and plumbing was being installed, so there was “a lot of wood there exposed for an arsonist.” He added extra security cameras monitored overnight.

“I never had a concern about this previously, never thought I would have to think about it, but now I think about it quite a lot,” he said. “It’s frustrating, and the neighbors are freaked out and the neighborhood is justifiably concerned about their safety.”