Greenwood Arson Prevention Meeting Goes Over Capacity
Community Arson Prevention Meeting
Tuesday night’s community meeting about the wave of arsons plaguing Greenwood was so well-attended that the basement of Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church reached capacity. About 15 minutes into the meeting, city councilmember Jean Godden arrived, announcing that 100-150 more people were waiting upstairs. A second meeting took place later, to accommodate all the neighbors who showed up.
Chiefs from the Seattle Police and Seattle Fire Department weren’t able to tell the huge crowd — which included multiple city council members and mayor-elect Mike McGinn — what they came to hear: who might be behind the string of 14 fires set in Greenwood since June. The Police Department doesn’t have a true profile of the arsonist (or arsonists) yet, and they couldn’t say why small businesses seem to be the main targets. Visible and invisible police patrols have been stepped up around the neighborhood, and the fire department also now sends two trucks to every suspected fire, in hopes of catching it early.
Every speaker at the meeting emphasized community involvement in stopping the arsons. All of the fires so far have been set using readily-available combustible materials, and the fire department urged residents and business owners to clear trash from around their buildings. The combustibles in one of the fires apparently came from over a mile away.
The police aren’t discouraging citizen patrols, and they’re asking the community to provide extra eyes and ears. They are discouraging confronting any suspicious people. If you see anything out of the ordinary, call 911 instead. The fire department also addressed rumors about business owners sleeping in their businesses overnight. They strongly advise against it, saying it doesn’t protect your store, and only puts you at risk and makes it harder for firefighters to work.
The Police, Fire Department and mayor’s office all offered resources to help residents who want to do something about the arsons:
For help with dead streetlights or overflowing dumpsters, call the City’s general customer service line at (206) 684-CITY.
There will be a joint Police and Fire webpage with information about the ongoing investigation. Until then, the Police website lists some non-emergency numbers you can call with tips.
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