Suspected Arsonist Arrested Following Massive Marina Fire In Seattle

SEATTLE — The Seattle Police Department arrested a 32-year-old man Wednesday suspected of igniting a damaging fire at a boat storage facility on Lake Union in the city's University District neighborhood.

Officers arrived at the scene with a large Seattle Fire Department response shortly after 2 a.m. on NE Northlake Way.

According to fire officials, the first crews at the scene located 30 vessels fully engulfed in flames on a dry rack at the facility, and the fire spread to the nearby warehouse. Within a few minutes, a deputy chief upgraded the incident to a two-alarm response, requesting more resources and harbor units to help tamp down the flames.

Teams from the U.S. Coast Guard and the state Department of Ecology deployed to the scene to monitor the water and keep chemicals from entering Portage Bay and Lake Union.

Crews reported the fire was under control by 3:30 a.m., and units remained on the scene into the morning to watch for hot spots. Seattle Fire said more than 100 firefighters aided in the effort, including 14 fire engines, five ladder trucks and a fireboat.

During the fire, police said an arson bomb squad detective located a man hiding in a boat on the water. He was later detained and sent to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation. Investigators identified him as a suspect in the case and said he would be booked on suspicion of arson after doctors gave the okay.