A fire engulfed a homeless colony on Seattle’s Mercer Street Monday, leading to the arrest of a 46-year-old man.
As authorities try to figure out whether the conflagration was intentional, the man was apprehended for reckless burning, the Seattle Police Department told KIRO-TV. The police did not name the suspect.
The fire was reported in a post on X by the Seattle Department of Transportation at 5:03 p.m. Pacific time.
Encampment fire on Mercer St and Fairview Ave N blocking all EB lanes. Use alternative routes and avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/SsB5ly53bv</ a>
— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) August 15, 2023
The fire was contained within an hour, the Seattle Fire Department indicated on the social media site, with no injuries reported.
At least one resident living near the encampment was fed up, telling Seattle CBS affiliate KIRO-TV, “Don’t clean up their trash; get them out of here. Get them the actual help that they need so they are not torturing everybody around us.”
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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