Did someone set fire to a Gig Harbor saloon, dumpster? Police are trying to ID suspects
Gig Harbor police are looking for three suspects who might have set fire to a local business and dumpster the morning of Feb. 9.
Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One responded to a report of a dumpster fire just before 6 a.m. at the Dairy Queen at 5118 Point Fosdick Dr., Tom Wescott, a spokesperson for GHFMO told the Gateway via email.
One of GHFMO’s engine companies was dispatched to the scene, he said.
The report came from a garbage truck driver with Murrey’s Disposal.
“The driver moved the dumpster away from the building and wanted the fire department to ensure it was extinguished prior to dumping it,” Wescott said via email.
Once the engine crew arrived, they saw “sparks and flames from the exterior wall of the Half Time Sports Saloon and called for a full commercial structure fire response,” according to Wescott’s email.
The Half Time Sports Saloon is located at 5114 Point Fosdick Dr., close to the Dairy Queen. It’s open following the fire.
“Crews went to work to extinguish the fire and ensure there was no fire extension into the building,” Wescott said via email. “We had four engine companies, two medic rigs, one truck company from Tacoma Fire Department, and one battalion chief respond.”
The cause of the dumpster fire has not been determined yet, according to Ken Rice, a spokesperson for the Pierce County fire marshal.
As for the building fire at Half Time Sports Saloon, the fire marshal ruled out any electrical causes. It appears to be an incendiary fire, which means it was set by hand, Rice said.
Gig Harbor police have identified three possible suspects and a vehicle with a possible connection to both fires. GHPD posted photos from the scene on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The photos show two of the three suspects and a “red four-door hatchback-style car,” that they were in outside the Half Time Sports Saloon.
The car did not have a license plate on it.
“We only know there’s a third suspect because they got dropped off in that car,” Gig Harbor Police Chief Kelly Busey told the Gateway. “And the car picked them up around the corner.”
Busey said he’s confident saying the two suspects who were dropped off are both males, but he doesn’t have any description for the third suspect.
GHPD’s post indicated the suspects may have also set fire to the Dairy Queen dumpster.
Busey said it’s possible the suspects at the saloon are also connected to the dumpster fire. He said investigators are still working to collect video footage, but that what they have right now doesn’t put the two suspects at the Dairy Queen.
Police are asking anyone with information who may recognize the people in the photos to contact a detective at (253) 851-2236.
This story was originally published February 12, 2024 at 3:47 PM.
