Seattle police arrest man after smoky blaze clogs Viaduct



SEATTLE -- One man was arrested for setting a fire that caused a brief shut down of the Battery Street Tunnel and Alaskan Way Viaduct Sunday afternoon.

Just before 4 p.m., both the Seattle Police and Seattle Fire Department responded to a report of a brush fire in the 1900 block of Alaskan Way.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze that engulfed a nearby homeless encampment.

Witnesses also pointed to a man they say set the fire.

That man was arrested and officers will book him into the King County Jail for investigation of arson.

The Seattle Department of Transportation will be inspecting the underside of the viaduct in the area to see if there was any structural damage caused by the heat.

The southbound lanes of the Viaduct remain closed as of 7 p.m. Sunday.