Shoreline Fire Department Continues to Investigate Vacant Business Blaze

Official Statement from the Shoreline Fire Department:

Shoreline and King County Fire Investigation units are continuing to search for a cause of the fire that destroyed a vacant retail store on Aurora Avenue North overnight. Aurora Avenue between 155th and 175th had been shut down for most of the night…but as of now has been reopened in both directions.

The fire broke out at midnight, at the rear of the business at 169th and Aurora. Firefighters arrived to find an adjacent shed-type building fully involved in flames, eventually spreading to the now-vacant former furniture store.

Shoreline was assisted by fire crews from Northshore, Snohomish County District One, Seattle, Bothell, and Kirkland during the five hours it took to fully extinguish the blaze.
 

Billowing smoke from the fire caused concern for many residents early this morning, and Shoreline Fire asked residents to avoid the smoke as much as possible.

At this hour Seattle Police are saying they have arrested a person of interest in the Greenwood area arson fires. They say the arrested the man a few blocks from the Shoreline incident—but are not saying he is a suspect in the Shoreline incident at this time

Shoreline Fire investigators will be on the scene most of the day today.