SEATTLE — Seattle police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a person they say intentionally set a fire outside a Capitol Hill bakery on Christmas.
Police and fire crews responded to a fire on E Pike Street on Dec. 25.
James Prop, owner of Cinnaholic on Capitol Hill, is still in disbelief as he watches the security footage from that morning.
His camera captured smoke filling the frame before cutting out entirely. When he arrived at his beloved bakery, he found a charred wall, a shattered window, and no suspect in sight.
“It kind of caught me off guard. I’ve never seen anybody live in action where I actually felt like it was intentional,” Prop said.
The surveillance video tells a disturbing story. A man can be seen approaching the bakery with a bag containing cardboard boxes, methodically feeding the fire until flames erupted. Once the blaze ignited and flames shot up the wall, the individual calmly got on his scooter and rode away.
“It was pretty clear that he had a bag in hand with cardboard boxes and stuff, and was just sitting there feeding the fire until it lit. Once it lit and it flamed up, this individual just got on his scooter,” Prop explained.
While crews were able to douse the flames quickly, the fire damaged the exterior wall of the business and additional damage occurred during the emergency response.
The fire marshal determined the fire was intentionally set.
The cleanup was extensive. “It took me about ten hours. To fully clean up the water damage and everything from the extinguishing of the fire and so on,” Prop explained.
Surveillance video captured the suspect, but the quality is low.
Prop is calling for more protection for small businesses across Seattle. He emphasized that without additional support, many small businesses simply won’t be able to sustain operations when faced with costly repairs from criminal acts.
“No words, I’m ready for action. Small businesses are not going to be able to sustain. It costs us a lot of money to do repairs. It’s coming out of our own pockets,” Prop said.
If anyone recognizes the person in the photographs, call the SPD Non-Emergency Line at 206-625-5011.
This fire came two days after someone was arrested for allegedly setting a dumpster on fire in the First Hill neighborhood. It’s unclear at this time if they are related.
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