Flames lit up a U-Haul lot in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood early Monday. Security cameras caught two men who started the fire while trying to steal gas.
“You can see them pouring gas into their vehicle,” said General Manager Hadyn Hall.
The video shows the men pulling up in an SUV behind one of the U-Hauls before getting out and tampering with the gas cap.
Hall believes they drilled a hole in one of his truck’s gas tanks and were rushing to fill up their own.
A crime, he says, they constantly have to deal with.
“I know gas is expensive. They come steal gas every night, whether they siphon it with the hose out of the tank or crawl underneath and drill holes,” said Hall.
At one point in the video, something appears to have sparked a flame.
One guy is seen racing over – then the other one, who spills gas all over the ground, and the fuel catches fire right away.
Then the gas thieves realize they’re in trouble and manage to drive off.
Moments later, the fire explodes with thick, black smoke. A little less than 10 minutes later, fire crews arrive to extinguish the flames.
“I’m devastated. I’m not gonna lie – I cried a little bit. It hurts, this hurts a lot,” said Hall.
Hall says the fire destroyed five trucks and damaged a sixth – about $150,000 worth of damage in all.
“I’ve watched my business go down, not a lot, but a little bit. I can’t keep my tanks full because they’ll just steal it,” said Hall.
The Seattle Police Department’s Arson Bomb Squad is investigating.
So far, no arrests have been made.