Madrona Fire Suggests Arson

The Seattle neighborhoods of Madrona and Madison Park have been in recent news due to an arson scare that was sparked at a Madrona home. Literally. We wrote in a previous blog that last Monday, a home located on 33rd Avenue caught fire while the owner was away. The cause was determined to be a deliberate one. Deliberate and suspicious. Earlier in the day, a man had knocked on the door of said home claiming he’d lost his ball and hoped he could look for it in the backyard. The kind homeowner allowed the man into his backyard and seemingly left the home, assuming the man was gone as well. Not long after, the home was aflame and the man was nowhere to be found. Police suspect the man to be an arsonist who had used the tactic to cover up a burglary. Coincidentally, another homeowner in the neighborhood reported a man at his doorstep looking for a lost ball in the backyard. Yet, the man left once he had found it. Unfortunately, a similar situation has surfaced in the Madison Park neighborhood. A family reported that upon returning home, they found their garage and back gate open and a propane heater (originally in the garage) inside of their basement. The moved heater suggests that someone may have been looking for a way to ignite a fire. The homeowner found footprints and later discovered a rubber ball in the backyard that did not belong to him. Police have found the incidents to be strikingly similar and are assuming they are related. The suspect in question, whose sketch is made from witness description, is shown above. All things considered, be wary of who approaches your home and be sure to keep doors and windows closed/locked. Homeowners, air on the side of caution to best prevent a crime like this from happening.