Investigators think they know cause of Gig Harbor fire. They’re asking for help
The Pierce County Fire Marshal’s Office has preliminarily determined a recent fire at a Gig Harbor construction site to be arson, according to a social media post July 20.
Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One’s tweets give this account of what happened:
Crews were called to the scene where two homes under construction burned on the site early in the morning July 17. The homes were being built near the corner of Hunt Street and 38th Avenue as part of The Cove development.
No injuries were reported. Gig Harbor firefighters were able to contain the fire to the two homes.
The Pierce County Fire Marshal’s Office is asking anyone who has information about this incident to call 1-800-55-ARSON (27766).
The fire is one of three recent blazes that made Gig Harbor headlines.
Firefighters responded to a fire that partially sank an 80-foot boat at a marina the morning of July 15 and to a fire that damaged a two-story house and destroyed a car that afternoon, The News Tribune reported.
Gig Harbor Fire Chief Dennis Doan said the Pierce County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating The Cove development fire and that the Gig Harbor Fire Marshal is investigating the other two. Pierce County Fire Marshal Warner Webb and Gig Harbor Fire Marshal Paul Rice did not respond to requests for comment from The Gateway by phone and email. Rice had an out-of-office reply set for his email.
Mayor Tracie Markley wrote in her weekly newsletter July 22 that investigators don’t believe the fires are related, and that two were confirmed to be accidents.
“Two fires occurred within City limits, both causes were confirmed to be accidental,” she wrote. “The first was a boat fire off North Harborview, and thanks to the actions of both GHFD and GHPD, was quickly contained, saving other nearby boats in the marina. The second fire incident started by accident in the garage of a single family house - this was also contained by GHFD, and we’re glad to share that there were no injuries.”
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
