Man accused of causing massive encampment fire released with no charges filed

SEATTLE - A man accused of causing a massive fire at a homeless encampment at the Mercer Street ramp in South Lake Union was just released from jail with no charges filed. 

A FOX 13 photojournalist was in court for the man's hearing on Thursday afternoon. At that hearing, a judge decided to let him out. 

According to court documents, witnesses saw the man accused of starting the fire running away from the scene. Court documents say the man told investigators that the fire was an accident. He said a candle fell over in his tent and the fire grew out of control.

While charges will not come from the county, it is still possible the city may file misdemeanor charges. Officials with the city attorney’s office say they received the report on Thursday, and they are working on how to proceed.

In a statement, the King County Prosecutor's Office said: 

"The completed investigation was not sent to our office and was instead sent to the Seattle City Attorney’s Office. That’s because under state law, the charge of Reckless Burning can either be filed as a felony or gross misdemeanor (and misdemeanor jurisdiction falls to the City Attorney) based on the available evidence." 

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office told FOX 13 that the case was not sent to county prosecutors for a felony charging decision that could hold a defendant, but they would review it immediately if the case was referred by police.

Three days after the flames tore through the encampment, the scattered debris and destruction sit untouched.

"Why was this not addressed earlier," said neighbor Neeral Mulchandani. "The second question I would ask is what are you doing about it now," he added.

Related

article

Man arrested for reckless burning after Seattle encampment fire by I-5 Mercer ramp

A massive fire broke out at a homeless encampment in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood, sending black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.

The mayor's office said city crews were onsite yesterday for debris cleanup but due to the level of dust and soot, combined with the rising heat, work was paused for staff safety. 

"Plans are being implemented to ensure cleaning can continue safely next week. Outreach will continue to engage onsite to offer connections to services and shelter for any remaining individuals," the mayor's office wrote, in part, in a statement. 

Neighbors say this isn’t the first fire they’ve seen in the area. Another resident reported there had been at least three fires before this.

FOX 13's David Rose also profiled this encampment in early 2023. At that time, it was clear structures were being built by campers out of makeshift materials. Inside cameras captured what looked like a plywood tiny home and other videos from the exterior of the fence showed a black-tarp structure to the left of the wooden home. That structure may have been the one to burn on Monday.

Neighbors also say they've complained to the city leaders about the situation before. They hope local leaders now will do something to make this area safer.

The city of Seattle and WSDOT said they are coordinating the next steps for this site, including securing it.