Fire at Gig Harbor construction site ruled arson

The fire that erupted at a construction site in Gig Harbor on Sunday morning has been ruled arson, the Pierce County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined.

The Cove is part of Gig Harbor’s push to build more housing. The development is still being built, but two of the newly promised homes were destroyed in the fire.

Now, the search is on to find out who did it and why.

“It’s kind of scary because we live just down here, we just saw the smoke,” said Gig Harbor resident Antonio Chavez. “We thought it was a wildfire. We never thought it was going to be that.”

The chaotic scene took place not too far from Chavez’s home on Sunday. Two homes under construction went up in flames, torching the wooden structures and melting nearby plastic.

The Pierce County Fire Marshal’s Office has now determined that the fire was set on purpose. Two homes that were meant to be part of The Cove housing development are now destroyed.

Other residents say the development has been a point of concern for neighbors.

Julie Ammann said that the construction site replaced trees and surrounding nature.

“No one’s happy to see the development, at all,” Ammann said. “But of course, we don’t want houses burning down either.”

If you have any information on the incident, you’re asked to call the Pierce County Fire Marshal’s Office at 1-800-55-ARSON.

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