A juvenile is suspected of starting a brush fire behind an apartment complex in Renton during peak fire season.
A juvenile is suspected of starting a brush fire behind an apartment complex in Renton during peak fire season.
This is the latest in a string of fires in the same area this summer, according to multiple neighbors who spoke with KOMO News.
Renton Regional Fire Authority and Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority responded to a brush fire near the 3000 block of Royal Hills Drive Southeast around 5:30 p.m. Monday. Video from the scene showed firefighters working behind the Royal Hills apartment complex as flames burned underneath transmission lines. They were able to knock down the fire and prevent it from spreading to the apartment complex.
Mohammad Idris, who witnessed the fire, said, “Look out the window, and I see a lot of fire.”
Several people who live in the complex told KOMO News there have been at least five fires in recent months. The latest fire forced some residents to temporarily leave.
“Two buildings were evacuated,” Idris said.
Since the beginning of the year, Renton Police said in a statement, “RPD has responded to five calls to assist the fire department since the beginning of the year in the Royal Hills area. Two other calls were immediately canceled by the fire department because they didn’t need us to respond.”
When officers arrived at the scene of the latest fire, the statement went on to say, “The apartment complex manager stated she saw a boy running from the area of the fire and was able to identify him. Officers contacted the family and developed probable cause for Reckless Burning in the Second Degree. Charges have been referred to the city prosecutor's office.”
While no apartment units burned in the fires around the Royal Hills area, fire officials say any new fires could spread quickly given how dry the vegetation is now.
“What we found this year is fire season actually started about a month sooner than it typically has in the past. It's starting earlier. Listening to the National Weather Service, it sounds like it's going to end later. The fire season itself is expanding in western Washington,” said Pat Pawlak with the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority.
