Town Hall Meeting on Recent Fires Draws 100s

Update July 24 at 9 a.m.:  The Alarm Foundation and the Northwest Insurance Council have offered up to $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of any individual or individuals involved in these incidents. There is also a private $5,000 cash reward offered as well under the same conditions.

by Lin McNulty

Hundreds of concerned Orcas Islanders gathered in the equipment bay at the Fire Station to learn about the recent “suspicious” fires.

The Town Hall Meeting called by Orcas Fire Chief Kevin O’Brien began with a well-deserved rousing applause for Orcas Fire & Rescue (OIFR) volunteers who tirelessly worked the recent Artworks and Willis Lane fires from early, early Friday morning into Saturday evening. And the amazing auxiliary and community members who pitched in with food and coffee to keep those firefighters going.

“Both scenes,” says O’Brien, “remain under robust investigation,” involving not only OIFR, but the Fire Marshal’s office, San Juan Fire, Lopez Fire, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), as well.

If those attending the meeting expected information about the specifics of the fires, they might have been sadly disappointed. Chief O’Brien made it perfectly clear that they would not discuss details of the ongoing investigation. This is not only because they don’t want to give away the information they already have, it’s also because they admittedly don’t know much, yet. The investigative agencies are still trying to connect the dots—when they don’t even know where all the dots are.

There is no conclusive evidence to indicate, at this time, this is arson. These last Friday fires, along with the June 6 Willis Road fire, are being labeled, in fire department vernacular, as “suspicious.” The fire department is also again taking a look at all fires in the last 12-18 months.

Arson sniffing dogs are to be on the scene today. Any results obtained from that visit will be sent to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for forensic processing. However, “the State Crime Lab is overloaded and we are at the end of the line,” Fire Marshal Paul Turner points out.

This investigation is going to take a while, longer than any of us would like. We want instant resolution, and, if it is arson, we want the suspect taken away. This stuff isn’t supposed to happen on Orcas. There are a lot of things that aren’t supposed to take place on Orcas, but they do.

So what happens in the meantime? There are things we can do:

• Remain calm.
• Set up neighborhood watch.
• Be aware of who your neighbors are.
• Keep your outside lights on at night.
• Report suspicious activity, persons, or circumstances.
• Practice fire safety in your home with smoke detectors, fire extinguisher.
• Remain vigilant.
• Again, remain calm.

Our local agencies, also, are stepping things up to ensure public safety and to bring this to a quick resolution. OIFR is setting up emphasis patrols. The Sheriff’s Office is reworking their schedules to put more deputies on the road, to perhaps include bringing deputies over from San Juan and/or Lopez.

How long with all of this take? We all, especially Olga residents, want that answer. “As long as it takes,” says Chief O’Brien, “as long as it takes.”