Police on the hunt for a possible serial arsonist in Mill Creek



MILL CREEK, Wash. -- Police in Mill Creek are on the hunt for a potential serial arsonist. There have been at least five suspicious fires, two of them aimed at homes in one neighborhood, one at an office and two at neighborhood parks.

Here are the location of the fires:

-2700 block of 143rd St. (home)

-14200 block of 27th Dr. SE (home)

-14000 block of 35th Ave. SE (office)

-Pine Meadow Park

-Cougar Park

People who live in the area are worried their property could be next.

Bruce Wojtoviets plans to move his firewood and anything flammable away from his Mill Creek house.

“That’s the main thing now is the safety of my family and the safety of the neighbors,” said Wojtoviets.

Mill Creek Police have investigated attempted arsons at two of his neighbors’ homes with the most recent caught here on surveillance video, where a lit flare can be seen being thrown on the back deck of an elderly woman’s home.

“This is pretty uncommon, we don’t typically deal with serial criminals like this,” said Mill Creek Police Chief Greg Elwin. “We don’t typically deal with intentionally set fires.”

Fortunately, the homeowner puts the fire out before any real damage, but just days before someone threw a Molotov cocktail into another backyard, igniting fear into neighbors.

“Feeling like they’re safety is at risk and feeling like we all have to be all watching,” said Janice Weber, a neighbor.

Mill Creek Police say there have also been other fires, including two at neighborhood parks and at a double wide office building. It’s why they say they’re asking for the public’s help, hoping to spark leads and extinguish concerns.

“The potential for property damage and loss of life is huge, and if this type of behavior is allowed to continue and go unchecked, we could be looking at something much more severe,” said Elwin.

In the meantime, the police chief is asking people to stay vigilant and for homeowners to use motion sensor lights around their homes.