TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma police are searching for a suspect they say set several fires within 24 hours.
"We have concerns that if this pattern continues, eventually someone will get hurt," said Tacoma Fire Department spokesperson Chelsea Shepherd.
On Sunday, July 14, the Tacoma Police Department and Tacoma Fire Department responded to a structure fire on the 1100 block of Dock Street which resulted in a total loss of the structure.
Hours later, there were several more fires, all on Puyallup Avenue, followed by two more fires Sunday evening and early Monday morning in Fife. Tacoma police reported three fires on Puyallup Avenue, and Tacoma fire reported two fires.
Tacoma police provided the following times and locations for the fires:
- July 14, 1:27 a.m. - 1100 block of Dock Street, Tacoma
- 7:55 a.m. - 1200 block of Puyallup Avenue, Tacoma
- 7:45 p.m. - 5100 block of Pacific Highway East, Fife
- July 15, 2:34 a.m. - 5300 block of 12th Street East, Fife
No injuries were reported.
Two of the buildings on Dock Street and in Fife were vacant. The other fires were set at unoccupied businesses, according to Shepherd.
The building on Dock Street hadn't been used in several decades, according to Don Wilson, who has lived in Tacoma for 70 years.
Wilson said the building had a "beautiful" mural on the outside of it that depicted empathy in bright colors.
"It's a shame," Wilson said.
Shepherd said the fires tied up department resources for several hours Sunday and Monday.
“When we’re responding to a preventable incident like this arson fire, it ties up our resources and that slows us down when responding to someone else’s emergency,” Shepherd said.
The Tacoma Police Arson Unit is asking for the public's help and requesting that community members and business owners in the areas surrounding the fires review security camera footage for any suspicious activity on that night.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Tacoma police or leave a tip with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.