BURIEN, Wash. — A fire at a Burien building that houses Department of Corrections (DOC) office space is being investigated as arson.
Crews with King County Fire District #2 responded to the fire at 15111 8th Ave. SW on Monday. The King County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the fire, said it was reported on the second level of the building. Two hallways were reported to have been set on fire.
Firefighters “quickly” put out the fire, and the damage was minor, the fire district said. However, ventilating the building of smoke was the “more arduous task.”
No injuries were reported.
The DOC space is a community corrections office where people on parole meet with their community corrections officers, according to DOC.
The suspected arson comes less than a week after three state-owned DOC vehicles were set on fire at the Burien field office. Investigators told DOC that the car windows were broken out, gasoline was poured inside the vehicles and the cars were set on fire. A fourth car was damaged but not set on fire during the Nov. 28 incident.
After last week’s fire, DOC said its staff would work remotely the rest of the week, and the office would remain closed out of an abundance of caution.
“It’s definitely hampering operations,” a DOC spokesperson said last week.
On Monday, DOC said its staff are not in the building and that it’s “unlikely” staff will return Tuesday due to smoke damage and a gasoline smell.
Crews will compare evidence from Monday’s fire to last week’s fire to see if there are correlations.
The King County Sheriff’s Office is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in the fire. The same reward is being offered in last week’s fire.