Man allegedly starts fire in front of Olympia building

A man was arrested after allegedly starting a fire in front of a building in Olympia that had caught fire about two years ago.

On January 31, Olympia police arrested a man, who is in his early thirties, after a witness reported seeing a man lighting cardboard on fire in front of a building on the 400 block of Franklin Street SE.

The responding officer noted in his report that the building had a large, covered patio that is sometimes occupied by campers. He also said the building had a fire that damaged the building significantly around two years ago, displacing tenants for “a significant period of time.” The building has “a newly upgraded fire suppression system.”

The officer arrived at the scene and saw smoke coming from the porch, where a man, later identified as the suspect, was leaving the porch. The sprinkler system was activated shortly after.

On the patio, a large pile of trash and cardboard was on fire, with the flames occasionally rising to the waist level, the officer said.

The suspect, who matched the description provided by the witness, was then arrested on suspicion of starting the fire. Police observed ash on his jacket and hair.

The fire was eventually extinguished after an alarm set off more water. Olympia Fire was also called to the scene to ensure the safety of the building.

Another officer arrived and said that no one was camping on the property when he passed by earlier in the day, but there was a pile of trash on top of a disposal bin.

The suspect told police that he was walking to the Lacey Library when he saw a fire on the porch and tried to put it out. Police said this contradicted the witness’ statement, who said that he saw The suspect dancing around a waist-high fire and adding trash and cardboard to it.

A tenant, who lived in the building when it burned down two years ago, said she was sleeping when she was woken by the fire alarm. She said she did not see anyone on the porch.

The suspect was booked into the Thurston County Jail for first-degree arson. Authorities recovered two small lighters from the suspect.

Police later learned that about eight hours prior to the alleged arson, The suspect was released from the Thurston County Jail in connection with residential burglary. Olympia police said the suspect has a “long history” of arrests, mental health issues, and criminal competency stabilizations.

“[The suspect] appears to be escalating his behavior, and I am concerned that he is posing an ever-increasing danger to the community, and if not for a fast response and a newly upgraded fire suppression system, [tenants] might not have escaped a second potential residential fire,” the officer wrote in his report.

A search of The JOLT’s previous police blotters shows that The suspect has been arrested at least eight times between December 2021 and January 2023.