seattle yacht fire

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Arson suspect arrested after dozens of boats burn in marina fire on Seattle’s Portage Bay

SEATTLE — Flames engulfed a marina in Seattle’s University District, burning dozens of boats early Wednesday.

The two-alarm fire in the 700 block of Northeast Northlake Way on Portage Bay was reported shortly after 2 a.m.

According to the Seattle Fire Department, as many as 30 boats at a dry rack storage facility were burning when firefighters arrived and the fire had spread to an adjacent warehouse.

Firefighters confirmed no one was inside the warehouse.

Smoke from the fire could be seen from miles away and caused parts of the Seattle area to have air quality in the moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups range.

At one point there were 100 firefighters at the scene as well as a fireboat.

Aftermath of Seattle marina fire on Northlake Way The Seattle Fire Department said 30 boats at a dry rack storage facility burned in the fire. (KIRO 7 News)

“The U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Ecology also responded to the scene to provide assistance in deploying buoys to prevent hazardous chemicals in the boats on fire from spreading into Portage Bay and Lake Union,” Seattle Fire said in a post on its Fire Line Blog .

The fire was under control by 3:30 a.m.

A 32-year-old man who was found in a boat docked near the fire was detained by Seattle Police officers. Video from the scene showed he was placed in handcuffs. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center.

The man was later identified by the Arson Bomb Squad as a suspect. He was arrested and will be booked into the King County Jail once he is medically cleared.

Seattle police are conducting a follow-up investigation.

No injuries were reported.

Editor’s note: Initially, as many as 42 boats were believed to have been destroyed, but further analysis from Seattle Fire Department investigators revised the number to 30.

700 block of NE Northlake Way: Approx. 30 boats that were stacked in dry storage were involved in the fire. pic.twitter.com/W6SZZpTJnc — Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) March 22, 2023

©2023 Cox Media Group

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Seattle Boat Company tours damage from Lake Union boat fire, suspect to remain in jail

by Hannah Knowles | KOMO NEWS

SEATTLE — Nearly two weeks after a massive fire erupted at a boat storage facility on Lake Union, the general manager from the Seattle Boat Company watched as the rubble came crashing down.

James Baker remembered the night he got the phone call that the storage facility was on fire. "I was in disbelief," Baker said. "My first thoughts were what do we need to do to contain the site, we have experts on it, a great team, and trying to figure out what the process is."

Arther Arakelov, 31, is accused of starting the fire around 2:15 a.m. on March 22, causing more than $8.5 million in damages, according to officials.

RELATED | Man charged with arson in Lake Union boat fire pleads not guilty

Seattle Fire Department (SFD) Deputy Chief Tom Walsh said more than 100 firefighters responded to the Seattle Boat Company, located on the 700 block of Northeast Northlake Way. Walsh said thick black smoke was coming from the fire and flames were estimated to be 50-70 feet in the air.

RELATED | Video shows man run, hide after allegedly setting boats ablaze at Seattle storage facility

The SFD said crews found a man on one of the boats docked near the fire. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition and questioned by police, the SFD said. The Seattle Police Department said that man was Arakelov, who was seen on surveillance video allegedly climbing down one of the boat racks with a torch lighter after the fire was set.

Charging documents do not state a motive for the fire.

Setting the marina fire was not the first crime Arakelov committed that night, according to charging documents. Prior to the fire, Arakelov allegedly broke into a nearby building to steal items, prosecutors said.

At the time of his arrest, prosecutors said Arakelov was listed on warrants for six criminal cases, two of which were active warrants for his arrest.

Prosecutors said Arakelov has convictions for a bevy of other crimes in the last 10 years, too, including resisting arrest, possession of vehicle theft tools, reckless driving and possession of narcotics for sale. They said they believe he is a danger to the community.

Arakelov is scheduled to appear in court next on April 27. His trial date is slated for May 25.

"It's good to see some progress," Baker said. "Boating season is right around the corner and we want to make sure we get our customers back on the water as soon as we can."

Heavy plume of smoke visible after boat fire on Lake Union marina

SEATTLE - Seattle fire crews extinguished a two-alarm boat fire docked at a Lake Union marina Wednesday afternoon.

The Seattle Fire Department responded to the fire in the 1800 block Westlake Avenue North before 2 p.m.

According to the fire department, the fire may have involved two boats and extended to a building nearby. 

The fire could be seen from FOX 13's Lake Union camera. 

After 2:15 p.m., crews had the fire under control.

Crews searched the building and two boats, and they were all clear. 

No injuries were reported. 

The cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation. 

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Arson suspect arrested in Seattle marina fire that damaged about 30 boats

In this image provided by John Odegard, firefighters in Seattle douse flames at a marina on Lake Union, near the city's University District, early on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The fire burned 30 boats on a dry-rack storage facility, and a man found hiding in one vessel was arrested for investigation of arson, authorities said. (John Odegard via AP)

SEATTLE — White smoke rose from the shores of Portage Bay up to the Ship Canal Bridge Wednesday morning as a massive fire at a Seattle Boat Co. storage facility on Lake Union damaged dozens of boats.

Crews went to the 700 block of Northeast Northlake Way around 2 a.m., according to the Seattle Fire Department. There were 30 boats stacked in the dry storage facility involved in the fire, according to the department, and a company official said there were “about 85 or so” boats on site.

An arson bomb squad detective found a man hiding in a boat docked near the fire, according to Seattle police. The 32-year-old was taken to Harborview Medical Center. He was arrested and was expected to be booked into King County Jail once medically cleared, police said.

Firefighters found an adjacent warehouse was burning, found no one inside and used ladder pipes — aerial ladders with pre-piped waterways — to flow water on the building, the department said.

The fire was under control by 3:30 a.m., according to the department.

The foam the Fire Department used to fight the blaze is environmentally safe and biodegradable, said David Cuerpo, a department spokesperson.

The Department of Ecology and the U.S. Coast Guard were also on scene Wednesday. Coast Guard crews surveyed the water and reported no sheen from oil. Small amounts of foam remained in the water and will disperse naturally, the Coast Guard said.

In this image provided by John Odegard, firefighters in Seattle douse flames at a marina on Lake Union, near the city's University District, early on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The fire burned 30 boats on a dry-rack storage facility, and a man found hiding in one vessel was arrested for investigation of arson, authorities said.(John Odegard via AP)

The agencies deployed buoys to stop more hazardous chemicals from leaking from the boats into Portage Bay and Lake Union, Cuerpo said.

Elizabeth Bohling, the Seattle Boat Company’s assistant general manager, said the facility has security measures in place.

“We’ve got locked gates, we have a lot of camera footage, and we’ve got security systems inside the building as well,” she said, adding that the security footage has been provided to the detectives for evidence.

Sikey Vlahos, the owner of Voula’s Offshore Cafe, and his brother got to the restaurant across the street from the boat facility around 5:45 a.m. At that point, fire crews were “at the point where they were just trying to put it out,” Vlahos said.

“We encountered a fire across the street at Seattle Boat,” Vlahos said. “It was at the point where they were just trying to put it out.”

Sergio Soto, an employee at nearby Ivar’s Salmon House, traveled on Interstate 5 before arriving at work around 6 a.m. and he said he “started smelling something was burning.”

Shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, white smoke was billowing from the burning boats as high as the Ship Canal Bridge above. Cars on Northeast Northlake Way drove over white foam on the street.

By 10 a.m., smoke was no longer seen rising.

Northeast Northlake Way and Northeast Pacific Street remain blocked in both directions between Sixth Avenue Northeast and Seventh Avenue Northeast, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

Houseboat catches fire on Lake Union, 3 other boats damaged

Houseboat catches fire on lake union in seattle.

Seattle fire crews responded to a major, two-alarm houseboat fire on Lake Union overnight.

SEATTLE - Seattle fire crews responded to a major, two-alarm houseboat fire on Lake Union late Friday night.

According to the Seattle Fire Department (SFD), just after 11:00 p.m., crews responded to a houseboat on fire docked near China Harbor Restaurant on Westlake Ave. N. The Seattle Police Department's Harbor Patrol unit was also dispatched to the scene.

Officials say no one was hurt, but the three additional boats did get caught up in the fire.

A neighbor told FOX 13 News he spotted the flames and called for help.

"I went up to the upper deck to grab a soda from the upstairs fridge and I see that my neighbor's houseboat is, the top floor is engulfed in flames," neighbor Patrick Christell said.

The flames were so large they could be seen on our FOX 13 Weather cameras.

"I dialed 911 and go to my neighbor's boat, my neighbor, Sam, knock on his door to say it's time to go. Unplug my power from my boat and turn off my DC power inside the boat, unplug his boat and then we sort of just walk out of the marina and the 911 operator told me the fire brigade was very close and so we could hear the sirens but in the time I did all that, the whole boat went up," Christell said.

RELATED: Woman returns home to find 40-foot houseboat sinking in Lake Union

SFD says the two-alarm fire involved two houseboats and two boats at the dock.

Traffic was even diverted, so fire crews could get to work. Officials say the fire was extinguished an hour and a half after it was initially reported.

(Seattle Fire Department)

SFD's David Cuerpo said the houseboat at the center of the investigation has been deemed unlivable.

The damage appeared significant in a photo shared by SFD on Twitter.

Luckily, Cuerpo said no one was hurt, and the other boats only sustained some damage.

"The key thing that was a challenge for firefighters when it comes to any type of marina fire is access to the fire. So, that's one of the reasons why we encourage all residents on a boat or a houseboat to quickly evacuate to allow us the capacity to get on to the dock," Cuerpo told FOX 13 News.

Investigators said these fires are a reminder to always turn off cooking devices and have an escape plan and personal flotation devices in the event of a fire, no matter what kind of boat you are on.

They said this can all happen in a flash, and that is something Christell saw for himself.

"It probably took two minutes for, it was a two-story house barge, and it started in the upper floor, the bedroom level there, and yeah, in the two minutes it took me to rally my neighbor and figure out what was going on, the whole thing was up," he said.

Neighbors watched as fire crews investigated early Saturday.

Some of them even found ash on their cars from overnight.

SFD investigators are still pinpointing an exact cause of the fire.

This is a developing story and new details will be provided as soon as they become available.

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MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Lake Union arson suspect pleads not guilty to setting 50+ boats on fire

Apr 6, 2023, 12:47 PM | Updated: Apr 7, 2023, 9:52 am

(Photo courtesy of US Coast Guard)

BY L.B. GILBERT

MyNorthwest Content Editor

Update 4/6 12:10 p.m.:

The man who was arrested for burning 58 boats at a dock on Lake Union appeared in court Thursday, pleading not guilty to the crime. Arther Arakelov is currently being held on $100,000 bail for first-degree arson charges.

The fire caused an estimated $8.5 million in damages to the boats.

This is not the first time Arakelov has faced legal trouble, with six criminal cases, two of which were active warrants at the time of his arrest.

Arakelov’s next court date is set for April 27, with a scheduled trial date set for May 25.

Update 3/22 12:21 a.m.:

A man has been arrested in connection to a fire that destroyed 30 boats Wednesday morning on Lake Union.

Seattle Fire had previously stated 42 boats had been burned but revised after further analysis from fire investigators.

Detective Judinna Gulpan said that SPD Harbor units and patrol arrived around 2:15 a.m. in the 700 block of Northeast Northlake Way and secured the area for SFD to extinguish the fire. During the investigation, an Arson Bomb Squad detective located a man hidden inside a boat moored in the water.

The 32-year-old man was detained and later transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. There was no one else located at the time of the incident.

The Arson Bomb Squad identified the man, who was then transported to Harborview as the suspect. He was arrested for arson and will be booked into King County Jail once medically cleared, according to police.

Original 3/22:

A fire broke out in a dry dock storage facility on Lake Union Wednesday morning, causing several dozen boats to go up in flames.

The facility at 700 block of Northeast Northlake Way on Portage Bay was reported to be engulfed in flames shortly after 2 a.m.

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As many as 42 boats were destroyed, according to the Seattle Fire Department. The smoke could be seen from miles away.

Around 2:00 a.m. firefighters responded to 700 block of NE Northlake Way for a boat storage facility fire. One additional building was involved. This escalated to a 2nd alarm fire and crews operated from the exterior using ladder pipes to flow water. — Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) March 22, 2023

Eighty firefighters responded to the scene to help get the fire under control.

Firefighters say a man in his 40s, who was on a boat docked near the fire, was taken to the hospital to be treated.

The fire almost reached a nearby building, but firefighters were able to limit the spread and keep the fire contained.

At one point, the thick, toxic smoke from the boat fires was so bad the air quality turned to unhealthy for sensitive groups. It is now listed as moderate as of 9:25 a.m.

The fire is now under control.

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Three boats catch fire at Lake Washington marina

Three boats caught fire at a Lake Washington marina late Sunday, temporarily stranding two people on a dock, the Seattle Fire Department said.

The fire, near the Rainier Yacht Club on Seward Park Avenue South, was reported around 9:45 p.m.

In addition to the three boats, an overhead marina structure, essentially a roof on stilts, was ablaze late Sunday, said Kristin Tinsley, a Fire Department spokesperson.

There were no reports of injuries, Tinsley said Sunday night.

One of the vessels reignited shortly after fire crews left from their overnight hot-spot vigil Monday morning, according to Tinsley. Fire crews returned and it was quickly contained, she said.

The two people on the dock Sunday were past the point of the fire and were “instructed to stay in place” until it was safer to come back to shore, Tinsley said.

The three boats were “pleasure craft” and pretty small, Tinsley said.

Shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday, the Fire Department reported it had “water on the fire.” At 11 p.m., the department said the fire was under control in about one hour.

9000 block of Seward Park Ave. S.: fire under control in approx 1 hr. Crews will remain on scene for several hours to ensure it’s completely extinguished. No reported injuries, though because of fire damage the boats themselves were unable to be searched. Investigation underway. — Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) August 15, 2022

The fire was blocking traffic on Seward Park Avenue South, between Rainier Avenue South and South Fisher Place, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation. All lanes reopened overnight.

At least 11 engines and three ladder trucks responded, as well as fire boats from the Fire Department and Seattle police.

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The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.