Help solve arson after couple's home burglarized, set on fire while away

WANTED IN THURSTON COUNTY --
A retired nurse in north Olympia says he doesn't know why he and his wife were targeted by an arsonist who burglarized their home.

Two weeks ago, someone broke into Clifford Rice's home on Bellwood Dr. NE while he and his wife were out-of-town.

He lost thousands of dollars in personal property and his Toyota Camry.

Whoever did it set two fires in the house and in the detached garage.

Now the Rice's are trying to figure out what's next. "Do we replace it? Do we tear it down? I mean damage inside is huge,” said Clifford. “There's things we've inherited from grandparents that can't be replaced."

Police recovered the stolen car in Pierce County.

Detectives are looking it over for evidence and talking to possible witnesses.



They say the thieves stole jewelry, antiques and guns. "Some of those firearms were taken inside the residence, as well as inside the detached shop building, so we have several firearms that are currently unaccounted for in the hands of unknowns and we would like to have the public's help to assist us in locating who's responsible and ultimately locating the firearms,” said Thurston County Det. Alan Clark.

So again, this was in north Olympia on June 12th.

Detectives say it's possible the suspects were staying in the home for several months because the owners had been out-of-town, so if you saw anyone there or heard anybody bragging about it, or you know who was involved, you can remain completely anonymous. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

Call 1-800-222-TIPS(8477), or use the P3 Tips App on your smartphone.