Burglary Suspect Dies In University Place Trailer Fire

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA — The Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Fircrest Police, University Place Police and the Pierce County Fire Marshal are all investigating after a bizarre incident late Sunday evening, in which a suspected burglar reportedly broke into a horse trailer, lit it on fire, and burned to death inside.

The incident all began at around 7:39 p.m., when 911 dispatchers received a call from a Fircrest homeowner. The homeowner told first responders that a burglar, wearing nothing but his underwear, had tried to push his way into their home, and had run off into the nearby woods.

Both the Fircrest Police Department and University Place Police Department dispatched officers to search the area, as did the Sheriff's Department. Shortly afterwards, a deputy spotted the suspect on a nearby property. The Sheriff's Department says the man was in the middle of breaking into a horse trailer. Once inside, smoke began to pour from the trailer, and officers asked the man to leave, but he stayed inside even as the structure began to burn.

West Pierce Firefighters were then called to douse the flames and put the fire out, but by the time the blaze was under control and officers could search the trailer, the suspect was dead.

The Pierce County Fire Marshal will assist officers, detectives and forensic investigators as they investigate the death. The Fircrest Police Department will be in charge of investigating the initial burglary.

The suspect's identity has not been confirmed. His body has been passed to the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office, who will attempt to determine who he was, and a conclusive cause of death.