2019 Puyallup laundromat fire was arson, court records say
The owner of Happy Dryclean & Laundromat in Puyallup is accused of setting a fire that damaged his business and others in Valley Plaza, according to charging documents filed in Pierce County Superior Court.
The fire, which occurred on the evening of Sept. 24, 2019, was allegedly set on purpose by Sam Hoy, who has owned the business with his wife since 2004, according to court records.
Hoy, 52, is charged with first-degree arson and has been summoned to court for arraignment on Aug. 27.
The day of the fire, Hoy locked up and left the laundromat at 8:50 p.m., according to court records. The fire was first noticed by two employees of a Subway located in the Valley Plaza strip mall, who called 911. Puyallup Fire Department arrived on the scene around 9:30 p.m., along with members of Puyallup Police Department.
Court records state deputy fire chief Russ Karns heard the sound of a natural-gas meter on the side of the building, which he found to be indicative of a significant amount of gas flowing. After the gas was shut off, firefighters put out the fire, but not before it had destroyed the laundromat’s roof and damaged a nearby roof. The strip mall the laundromat is in shares a single flat roof with other businesses.
Fire investigators then entered Happy Dryclean & Laundromat on Sept. 25, 2019 and found the fire likely began in the electrical and utility room. Inside that room, they found numerous butane canisters, court records show. They checked multiple sources, including outlets, a single burner range, a toaster and an electric fryer, but found evidence that the fire was not caused by any of them.
Fire investigators later found evidence, including vice grips, that natural gas lines connected to laundromat dryers had been tampered with, according to the records. Investigators also found several thousand dollars in cash and a half-gallon bucket full of quarters.
Court records say Hoy filed a claim with his insurance company for the fire damage and met with a Farmers Insurance representative and the investigating detective on Sept. 26, 2019. When Hoy was told about the money that had been found the day before, he asked if it had been burned or melted by the fire.
Hoy was interviewed by the Puyallup Police Department on Oct. 1, 2019. During the interview, Hoy told police that he has professionals change filters and do other equipment maintenance, but that no such electrical work had recently taken place, court records show.
When the deputy fire marshal spoke with Hoy about the natural gas lines, Hoy admitted to knowing they were connected to the dryers. According to the court records, he then began to shake and rub his face and leg.
Hoy told investigators he walked his dog around the plaza after locking up at 8:50 p.m. and then drove home prior to receiving a call about the fire around 9:30 p.m. Security footage shows no one walking a dog in the area he described during that time, court records show. Instead, the footage shows a car matching Hoy’s car stopping in an area near Valley Plaza and then driving away at around 8:50 p.m., according to the report.
The charging documents say the investigation determined two fires were set in the electrical room of the laundromat. The state alleges Hoy timed the fires to allow sufficient gas to build up from the natural gas lines with the intention of creating an explosion that would conceal his actions.
According to the charging documents, such an explosion would have endangered the public due to the plate glass window and brick siding.
In October 2019, when the investigation was ongoing, Hoy told The News Tribune that he and his wife were “stuck in the middle between the fire and the investigation.”