Builders group, FBI offer $100,000 reward

A $100,000 reward is offered for information leading to the arrest or conviction of those responsible for Monday's fires that did an estimated $7 million in damage to four Seattle Street of Dreams homes in Snohomish County.

The reward was announced by the Building Industry Association of Washington in conjunction with the FBI.

Anyone with information about the fires is asked to contact the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force at 206-622-0460 or e-mail fbise@leo.gov.

An additional $10,000 reward has been offered by the Northwest Insurance Council and Arson Alarm Foundation. That group asks for callers to contact local authorities or the Arson Hotline (800-55-ARSON).

A sign found near the burned homes bore a message from a radical group called the Earth Liberation Front.

Nearly 31,000 deliberately set fires destroyed $755 million in insured property in 2006, including factories, residential buildings, churches and motor vehicles, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

FBI statistics indicate only 17 percent of all arsons result in arrests.

— Jack Broom