Fire at strip mall in Seattle’s Lake City determined to be incendiary

At least three businesses were destroyed in a fire at a one-story strip mall in Lake City neighborhood of Seattle late on Monday. Seattle Fire Department Investigators later determined the fire to be incendiary, with losses estimated at $2.7 million.

Police say just before 11 p.m., a caller reported several people were breaking into a business at Lake City Center on Northeast 127th Street. The caller said he watched the people leave in a vehicle and said the businesses they had entered were now on fire.

The first Seattle Fire units confirmed a well-involved fire in the retail stores in the middle of the building and heavy smoke coming from the space between the ceiling and roof. It quickly grew to a 2-alarm fire as it spread throughout the building.

The crews transitioned to a defensive strategy by pouring water onto the fire from outside the building as it was unsafe for them enter. Seattle Fire says sections of the roof fell in 30 minutes into the fire and some of the walls collapsed. Puget Sound Energy secured the natural gas lines from the building; Seattle City Light turned off the electricity.

The fire was under control by 12:30 a.m., but a few units remained on scene to monitor.

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There are no reports of any injuries. Detectives from Seattle Police Department’s Arson Bomb Squad are investigating. Anyone with any information is urged to call Seattle police.