Police arrest suspect in series of Seattle arsons

Police arrested a 38-year-old man suspected in a series of arson fires set in the Ballard, Fremont, and Queen Anne neighborhoods last year.

Investigators believe the man set five fires at businesses between Oct. 28 and Nov. 28, 2018.

• Oct. 28: An office complex in the 200 block of Etruria Street.
• Nov. 8: An Elks Lodge in the 3000 block of 3rd Avenue Northwest.
• Nov. 10: A lumber yard in the 300 block of West Ewing Street.
• Nov. 19: A gymnasium in the 1400 block of Northwest 52nd Street.
• Nov. 28: A restaurant in the 5400 block of Ballard Avenue Northwest.

Investigators said on Feb. 6, police received notification of a DNA match from the Washington State Crime Lab, which had analyzed evidence recovered from one of the scenes.

The suspect was located. He was already in custody at the Whatcom County Jail on an unrelated case.

Seattle police are working with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to determine the charges.

The fires caused more than $4.5 million in damage.

KIRO 7 reached out to the Seattle Police Department for details about the arrest, in addition to their written statement on the SPD Blotter.

“Everyone’s in training, so none of us will be available,” spokesman Patrick Michaud said.