Tacoma police search for suspect in string of arsons

A string of arson and suspicious fires continued in Tacoma Saturday morning, bringing a total of nine fires police are investigating in the city and Fife.

The most recent sparked early Saturday morning. The first burned between two buildings just after midnight on East 19th and East D streets.

The second fire hit two businesses at 306 East 26th Street which was the scene of another suspicious fire one week earlier on Friday, July 12.

Odette D’Aniello owns the building and one of the businesses that was damaged. She said she was meditating this morning when her husband told her what happened, shattering her Saturday serenity.

“My adrenals are activated,” said D’Aniello, “I’m pretty annoyed and angry mainly because we do all we can to help the community, to make this city amazing.”

D’Aniello has owned the business for twenty years. The property damaged was her creator-space bakery. The bakery was soaked, the equipment and supplies in the basement were flooded and above it on the second floor, an apartment was severely damaged by the fire.

D’Aniello rents out the apartment to families in need. A mother and her 7-year-old child had just moved out and she was supposed to show the space to a migrant family who needed a home that a church referred to her.

“That’s what makes me just so upset,” she said, “Everything is replaceable except loss of life and there was no loss of life, thank God.”

The soul food restaurant next door was also severely damaged in the fire.

D’Aniello watched surveillance video from around the area and spotted the person Tacoma Police say is a suspect in the arson. The video showed the person walking up to the back of the building, dropping something near it, and walking away.

“I assume it was gasoline because that’s what we were told and five minutes later, it all went up in flames.”

The fires bring Tacoma Police to update their investigation into the arson string that was announced on Wednesday. At that time Tacoma Police and Tacoma fire were asking for help as they investigated a string of four fires on Sunday, the first starting near 1100 Dock Street, the other three set along different areas of Puyallup Avenue. Two other fires were set in Fife that day as well.

The preceding Friday was when D’Aniello’s businesses were burned for the first time. With the “increase” in suspicious fires as TPD described it, the department said officers will be increasing patrols around the city.

“The emphasis patrols will focus on the individual or individuals involved in the recent rash of arsons that have damaged property, and had the potential to endanger lives, as well as prevent any further incidents.” a department spokesperson said in a press release.

TPD is also asking any business owners near where fires have started to check their surveillance video to see if there is anything that can help lead them to the suspects.

Before the extra patrols were announced, D’Aniello said she had called several city leaders Saturday morning saying they need to better support businesses affected by fires and hold people accountable.

“There are people who are just trying their best to live very impeccable lives, working their butts off, doing everything they can so we can make a positive impact and then you have people who don’t care and they’re held to no account.”