Police arrested a man and a woman from Tacoma on Monday accused of dressing as firefighters and burglarizing evacuating homes, according to the Spokane Police Department.
The department said Detective Lynch went to a reported burglary in the 20100 block of West Thorpe Road in Medical Lake.
Detective Lynch said a family member of the homeowner told him a suspicious man and woman arrived at the house in a blue Audi. The family member said they pulled into the driveway and tried to talk to him, knowing no one was supposed to be in the home.
The family member said the man wore a yellow high-visibility long-sleeve shirt similar to a firefighter’s. The 38-year-old man told him that he had a flat tired and had pulled over to fill it up. The family member noticed the air looked low and said he offered to fill it up at his shop.
The family member then said moments later, a woman then came out from behind the home and got into the Audi. He also said they must have noticed he was calling law enforcement because they slowly drove toward his shop and then left the area.
He then found out the back door was unlocked and the cabinets in the kitchen had been gone through, but nothing seemed to be missing.
Detective Lynch later contacted him and found out he was missing two drills, valued at around $300.
At around 4:10 p.m., Deputy Brooks said he saw a blue Audi with the same license plate near Silver Lake and Medical Lake-Four Lakes Road, and he saw what looked like a bright yellow shirt or clothing inside.
He said he quickly caught up to the car, conducted a traffic stop, and talked to the people inside.
The man told Deputy Brooks they were trying to get back to Tacoma but got lost and that they just stopped at a gas station, where they changed their tire, and were returning to Tacoma.
The investigation continued, with the assistance of Detective Lynch, and the man and woman were arrested for alleged burglary and booked into the Spokane County Jail.
This incident comes as evacuation orders are being eased for the Gray Fire and all Level 3 areas are now Level 1 or 2. That means people can go back but need to be ready to leave.
Also, everyone reported missing has now been accounted for.
Firefighters said the fire is holding steady with around 10,000 acres burned and is now about a quarter contained.
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