On Tuesday morning, Nov. 28, 2023, four Washington State Department of Corrections vehicles were set on fire at a parking structure located under an office building in downtown Burien.
Around 6:48 a.m. Tuesday morning, King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Communications Center received a 911 call from Valley Communications about multiple parked cars being on fire in parking structure located at the Washington State Department of Corrections office at 15111 8th Ave. SW in Burien (map below).
Burien Police (which contracts with KCSO) and KCSO Unincorporated Deputies were dispatched to the area along with King County Fire District #2. Currently, KCSO’s Fire Investigator is on scene to begin an initial investigation into the cause of the fire.
“Three Ford Interceptors were set on fire and are a total loss,” said Chris Wright, Communications Director for the DOC. The value of the vehicles is not known at this time.
Wright added that the Community Corrections office will be closed and employees will work from home for the rest of the week out of an abundance of caution.
Here’s more info from King County Fire District #2:
“Fire crews from King County Fire District #2 were dispatched at 6:48 a.m. this morning after multiple passers-by reported four vehicles on fire underneath the Dept. of Corrections building in Burien.
“The first arriving engine found three involved vehicles and pulled a fire hose to extinguish the flames. Being that it was early morning, the building only had a couple of employees inside, all of whom evacuated.
“The quick extinguishment prevented the fire from breaking through any of the building’s windows, resulting in no interior damage short of small amounts of smoke into floor two.
“The King County Fire Investigation Unit is handling the investigation into what is believed to be an arson at this point based upon burn patterns across the three involved vehicles and a melted gas can on site.
“Anyone with any information, or camera footage from the area, can contact the KCFIU or King County Fire District #2 in Burien.”
No injuries were reported.
Police add that, as of now, there are no suspects in this likely arson fire incident.
The investigation has been turned over to the KCSO Fire Investigator and is active and open.
