Fatal Burien fire was deliberately set, caused $1.75 million in damage, officials say

Pamela Ward recently lost her job.

On Sunday, the 30-year-old woman and her family lost their home.

"We had $30 to our name and it was in the apartment," said Ward, one of dozens left homeless by the arson that swept through two Burien apartment buildings, killing three and injuring five people.

The King County Sheriff's Office said Monday the fire that destroyed the eight-unit Tara Apartments and heavily damaged the identical Jenny Marie Apartments in the 400 block of Southwest 155th Street was deliberately set.

Investigators aren't releasing what specifically led them to conclude it was arson, said sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart.

"Arson means deliberately set," Urquhart said, not someone playing with matches or some sort of accident.

The fire is being investigated by King County Fire Investigators and the Major Crimes Unit of the Sheriff's Office. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible. Anyone with information about the arson can call the Sheriff's Office at 206-296-3311.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released the identities of the three people killed in the fast-moving blaze. But neighbors said the dead included a man and his grandson, who was about 8. Neighbors said the grandfather was visiting from Oregon. Some reported seeing him run back into the burning building for the boy.

"He was very bright," neighbor John Tuiletufuga, 18, said of the boy. "I used to see him playing, climbing trees, climbing up the trash cans."

Other neighbors described the child as polite and full of life.

The other person killed in the blaze was mentally disabled and had limited vision, said Elizabeth and David Baggott, a couple the victim had lived with for about a decade.

"He'd do anything for anybody, especially his family," said Jill Baggott, 67, David's mother, who also lived with the couple. "And we were his family."

A spokeswoman at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle said Monday that two fire victims were in satisfactory condition in the hospital's trauma center. It's unclear where the other three injured people were hospitalized.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the fire caused about $1.75 million in damage. But for many of those left homeless, the fire consumed belongings that will be difficult to calculate in dollar amounts.

Ward, her boyfriend, her two teenage sons and the couple's 6-month-old infant are now staying at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church, along with 15 of their neighbors.

Others victims are staying with family or friends. A total of 40 people were displaced by the fire and registered with the American Red Cross, spokeswoman Katherine Boury said.

The Red Cross is helping with immediate needs, Boury said. Red Cross workers will help people find agencies that can offer longer-term assistance.

Ward said her family was able to buy some clothing and essentials Monday with a voucher from the Red Cross. They left their apartment with just the clothes they were sleeping in the night of the fire.

Like most her neighbors, Gina Popich, 21, didn't have rental insurance. But Popich hopes she and her husband and their 2-year-old son can get resettled soon.

"We've cried, we've cursed. Now we have to move on," Popich said.

On top of losing all their belongings, including her wedding ring, Popich must replace hundreds of dollars of textbooks. She works full time at Allied Waste and is taking night classes in medical assisting.

Tuiletufuga is looking for another job to help his parents and two siblings get back on their feet. Tuiletufuga and his family are staying at the church.

He already works graveyard shifts, also at Allied Waste. A second job will mean he'll miss varsity football practice at Evergreen High School, where he will be a senior and a running back. His coach said he'd save his spot on the team, Tuiletufuga said.

Witnesses said they were shocked at how quickly the fire moved through the two adjacent apartment buildings. The buildings had smoke alarms, but neither had sprinklers.

Leslie Anne Jones: 206-464-2745 or ljones@seattletimes.com

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com