SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Deputies arrested a woman on Saturday for allegedly starting more than 15 fires along the Spokane River.
Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to multiple spot fires along the Spokane River near Myrtle Point on Saturday.
Suspect descriptions led deputies to accused arsonist 44-year-old Sara Beal.
Evidence photos show pillow stuffing and matches found in Beal’s purse and on the ground where the fires started. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance Monday.
The arrest comes as investigators continue searching for another suspected arsonist operating a few miles away near Boulder Beach. 12 separate fires have been intentionally set in that area over the past two months.
“Obviously, I stay vigilant as much as I can,” said Tavish Lamontagne, who frequents the Boulder Beach area for mountain biking at Camp Sekani Bike Park.
Lamontagne said the fires put his favorite recreational spot at risk.
“I ride at the Camp Sekani Bike Park and do the jumps a lot. So, that area is kind of important to me. The reason why someone would do that is lost on me,” he said.
Doug Bleeker, assistant chief of Spokane County Fire District 9 has been investigating the Boulder Beach fires.
“My job is fire prevention. I would like to catch this individual, find out why this is happening. But ultimately, we just don’t want fires in those recreational areas. Those are highly used areas,” Bleeker said.
Fire officials said that Beal is not the person responsible for the Boulder Beach fires, but investigators are using similar community-based approaches to catch both suspects.
“There’s a lot of people that are working together to try and solve this issue. The biggest thing we’d like from the public is if anyone can get us any information. If you can snap a cell phone video or a picture of somebody doing something like that and get ahold of us,” Bleeker said.
Multiple agencies are collaborating on the investigations, including the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane Police, Spokane Valley Fire and Spokane County Fire District 9.
Fire District 9 officials ask anyone who sees suspicious activity to take pictures and contact the station. Anyone who spots an active fire should immediately call 911.
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