Police tweeted around 8:15 p.m. that they took a man into custody who they believe started a rash of blazes Monday afternoon.
Update, 6:30 a.m. June 7, 2016:
Seattle police have arrested the man suspected of starting several fires on Beacon Hill Monday.
Officers searching for the man believed to have set the fires spotted him in an area near the International District just before 7:30 p.m., police said in a news release. The suspect’s name has not yet been released.
Police said the suspect would be interviewed by detectives from the department’s Arson Bomb Squad before being booked into custody at the King County Adult Detention Center.
Most Read Local Stories
Original post:
Seattle police have taken into custody a man who they believe may have started a rash of fires near The Jungle homeless encampments Monday.
Police responded to a handful of separate blazes in the Beacon Hill greenbelt by Interstate 5 early in the afternoon, Capt. Paul McDonagh said. Those were out by 3:20 p.m.
Three or four more fires were started in the area less than two hours later, which were near Jose Rizal Park and extinguished by 5:30 p.m., police and fire authorities said. Police tweeted around 8:15 p.m. that they took the man into custody who they believe started those blazes.
It’s unclear if that man is connected to the earlier fires, too. In the tweet, police said they continue to investigate.
The extent of damage from all of the fires is unknown, though McDonagh said one blaze burned in a nearby vacant building.
No injuries were reported.
Earlier in the evening, police described the arsonist as 5 feet 6, white or light-skinned Hispanic, in his 30s and with short hair, or possibly a mohawk, McDonagh said. He was last seen shirtless in black shorts running from the area, he said.
“It’s a very dangerous situation,” he said, considering Monday’s hot temperatures.
Eastbound and westbound traffic was temporarily shut down on South Dearborn Street at 12th Avenue South around 2:30 p.m. Officials closed the stretch again later to investigate the second batch of fires. By 6:15 p.m., the roadway had reopened.
McDonagh said it’s unknown how many people were at or near the encampments during Monday’s fires. He said authorities would provide extra surveillance in the area throughout the evening.
Hundreds of people live in makeshift homeless encampments in The Jungle, which stretches from Beacon Hill to Sodo under and near I-5. The city plans to clear out the camp after two people were killed and three others wounded in a January shooting.