Up to $10,000 arson award offered for Mukilteo elementary school fire

SEATTLE, May 25, 2017 – NW Insurance Council and Arson Alarm Foundation are offering an award from the annual $10,000 Arson Award Fund to anyone with information that leads to the arrest or conviction of those responsible for setting fire to two portable toilets at Columbia Elementary School in Mukilteo.

The fire caused more than $100,000 in damages. Flames spread to the eaves of the school, destroying phone and fiber lines along with computer and electrical equipment. Heavy smoke also spread throughout the school’s kitchen and gymnasium.

Anyone with information about the fire is encouraged to call the Arson Hotline at 800-55-ARSON (800-552-7766).  Callers may remain anonymous. Also, tips can be called in to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office at 425-388-3393.

NW Insurance Council and Arson Alarm Foundation offer awards up to $10,000 each year for Washington residents who provide tips to authorities that result in the arrest or conviction of arsonists. More than $100,000 has been awarded to Washington citizens over the past decade.

“Arsonists hurt all of us by destroying lives and property and by driving up insurance rates,” said Kenton Brine, NW Insurance Council president, “and these arsonists likely will strike again unless they are caught. Citizens are encouraged to call the Arson Hotline with any information they have about these fires.”

Arson is a deadly and costly crime. In 2015, nearly 23,000 deliberately-set fires killed 205 people and destroyed $534 million in insured property including factories, residential buildings, churches and motor vehicles, according to the Insurance Information Institute.  

If you have information about an arson or suspicious fire, call the Arson Hotline at 800-55-ARSON (800-552-7766), submit an anonymous tip at www.arsonalarm.org or contact your local authorities. 

Posters providing information about the Arson Alarm hotline and the award fund are available.  To order, send an email to arsoninfo@arsonalarm.org or click here for a printable version.

For more information about arson, visit www.nwinsurance.org and www.arsonalarm.org.

NW Insurance Council is a nonprofit, public-education organization funded by member insurance companies in Oregon, Washington & Idaho.

Arson Alarm Foundation is a nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce loss of life and property by increasing arson awareness.

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