BURIEN, Wash. – A fire that broke out at Burien’s Dottie Harper Park over the weekend was determined by officials to be arson, and the historic Dottie Harper House damaged in the fire was declared a total loss.
According to city officials, King County firefighters were called to the park around 1:10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, responding to reports of a fire in the Dottie Harper House. Crews worked to extinguish the fire before it spread to nearby trees, which took nearly nine hours.
Firefighters were able to contain the flames to the house, which was declared a total loss by the time the fire was put out. City officials say Parks & Recreation equipment and supplies being stored there were also destroyed.
Burien’s Dottie Harper House after a fire ripped through it.
Dig deeper:
A county fire investigator determined by Monday that the cause of the fire was “incendiary,” meaning it was intentionally set.
Officials mourned the loss of the the Dottie Harper House, which was built in 1954 and once served as the Burien Arts Gallery from 1974–2009. Since 2017, it was repurposed as a store facility for Burien’s recreational programs.
“This facility held significant meaning to our community’s history and has served an essential role for our department in recent years,” said Burien Parks & Rec director Casey Stanley. “It housed equipment and supplies vital to the delivery of our City’s major events, large youth and senior programs, and ongoing park maintenance operations.”
What’s next:
Crews have the historic house fenced off while they prepare to demolish it.
After that, city officials say they will determine whether they can build a new structure there to meet community needs.
“Staff are working to recoup what was lost and finding creative ways to replace items that were specifically made for our Arts-A-Glow, Empty Bowls, and Día de los Muertos events,” said Stanley. “While this is a challenging setback for us, we will not let it get in the way of serving our community.”
No suspects have been identified yet. Anyone with information on the arson or possible suspects is urged to contact the King County Fire District 2 Fire Marshal at fmo@king2fd.org.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from the City of Burien.
트위터 공유: 역사적 부리엔 주택 방화 피해 발생