Arson suspected in 3 U District fires

A third fire since Saturday has occurred in the University District, and authorities say all three were arson.

Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen said that at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, a discarded couch propped against a fence and a stairway behind a house in the 5200 block of Brooklyn Avenue was set on fire, causing $1,000 damage to the fence and stairs.

About 8 p.m. Saturday, a couch and the contents of two Dumpsters were set on fire behind an apartment building in the 5500 block of 15th Avenue Northeast. The burning items partially blocked the exit to an occupied apartment building. Flames reached the top of the multistory building and did $5,000 damage to the siding, according to Seattle Police and the Fire Department.

Police said there were no smoke alarms in the building, and the fire represented a risk to the occupants.

Eight minutes after that fire was reported, a second fire was reported in the 5600 block of University Way Northeast, where a discarded mattress was set on fire.

Vander Houwen said the first two fires are believed to be connected, but investigators haven't decided whether the third fire is linked to the others.

The Fire Department asks that combustible material not be left out and that anyone with information call 1-800-555-ARSON.

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com