TACOMA, Wash. — A string of fires suspected to be intentionally set in Tacoma hit one woman’s home—twice.
Rachel Affleje was just about to lay her child down for bed when she noticed something outside.
“It was like a huge wall of flames, so we called 911,” Affleje said.
Before fire fighters arrived, her neighbors were jumping in to help.
“There were like six people in our yard with fire extinguishers, grabbing the hose, ready to do whatever they could to help, which was amazing,” she said
The fire charred the insulation on the power lines and was put out in minutes after Tacoma Fire got on scene. Just after TFD arrived, another fire was set to old furniture in an alley two blocks away.
Then, four hours later, Affleje was woken up by the familiar sound of crackling. The bushes right next to the ones that were set on fire earlier were now ablaze, with the wind pushing the flames down her fence line.
“It’s mostly frustrating, you know. It’s out of my control if someone is out here with bad intentions and it makes me feel a little bit helpless as far as protecting my house and my family," Affleje said.
The feelings are more pronounced knowing the same line of bushes was set on fire in November, also the Sunday after Daylight Saving Time.
No suspects were arrested in that case, but Affleje hopes this time is different. Her security cameras caught a person with a gas can walking in her alley, a minute before the flames and smoke started pouring over her fence.
“We could see 8:27, someone walking down the alley with a gas can. 8:28, you could see the flames from the same angle coming from behind him.”
The damage the first time was quoted at $2,100. With twice the fence burned, she expects it to be at least double.
On Monday, Tacoma police reported two more fires suspected to be arson. They say a person was arrested but it’s unclear if that suspect is related to the fires at Affleje’s home at this time.