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Man arrested for setting fire below Alaskan Way Viaduct

By Natasha Chen
By Natasha Chen

A two-acre fire erupted below the SR 99 viaduct Sunday afternoon, prompting major roadways to shut down for several hours.  A Seattle Fire Department spokesperson said investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

Police said they arrested a man, after witnesses said they saw him start the fire. KIRO 7 captured video of police putting handcuffs on a man, after questioning him.

UPDATE: Here's the story we posted. All updates will appear here >> http://kiro.tv/2uXKug3 Brush fire it has part of Battery Street tunnel closed

Posted by Natasha Chen CNN on Sunday, July 23, 2017

In an online post, Seattle police also said the Seattle Department of Transportation will be inspecting underneath the viaduct to check for any damage to structural integrity. While fire crews targeted the area, both directions of SR 99 on the viaduct were closed; the railway was also closed for one mile in each direction.

When flames and smoke first appeared at around 3:30 p.m., people visiting Pike Place Market and Victor Steinbrueck Park said the thick smoke blocked their view.

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“We were eating, and all of a sudden we started smelling smoke. And then people started saying there was smoke, and we turned around and looked toward the water, and it was just covered. I mean, you couldn’t see through the smoke. Like the wheel? You couldn’t see the wheel at all. And then it got to where you couldn’t see the market, even,” Julie Smith said.

Kelly, who did not to provide her last name, said she lives near the viaduct and saw the fire from the lower side of the hill.

“There was quite a bit of smoke and things that obscured the buildings near the back on the other side of the viaduct, and some flames and things that were shooting out of the blackberry bushes,” she said.

She said in the past week, she has seen homeless people use their grills with open flames.

“I’ve walked up and down the hillside there a few times in the last few weeks. And one of our neighbors called 911 earlier this week. They have outdoor barbecues and they’ve got those lit with flames shooting up,” Kelly said.

A spokesperson with the fire department said there were about 20 tents near the fire and people in the encampment had to be evacuated.

Later Sunday evening, people were seen setting up tents in the charred area.

No damage was caused to the tents or other property in the area.

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