Police Say Wash. Man Set Fire to House in Suicide Attempt
Nov. 12--BLAINE -- A man rescued from a burning home this week in Blaine was being held at St. Joseph hospital Tuesday, Nov. 11, for a mental evaluation.
Police believe the man set his house on fire Monday evening in an attempt to kill himself. Neighbors and passersby on D Street reported heavy smoke coming from a slate gray single-story house at 5:17 p.m.
A Blaine police officer and a U.S. Border Patrol agent reached the home within a minute. Through a broken back windowpane they spotted a man inside, on the floor. They forced open the rear door and carried the unconscious man to safety, as flames spread to the rest of the home. Once the man awoke, he "complained about having been rescued from the blaze as he intended to die," according to police. Officers restrained him. Paramedics then checked him over, treated his minor injuries and helped take him to the hospital for what's called a mental health hold.
Meanwhile a dozen North Whatcom firefighters battled for about a quarter-hour to extinguish the flames. Heat and smoke destroyed the interior of the home. The house, built in 1946, had a value of $72,000, according to the county assessor's office. It's about 20 feet east of the nearest neighboring home.
That evening a red gas can in the backyard was roped off with yellow caution tape. The county fire marshal's office, Blaine police and North Whatcom Fire and Rescue investigated through the night. On Tuesday morning police officially said they suspected arson.
Property records name the homeowner, a man in his late 20s. Police arrested him last month on suspicion of misdemeanor malicious mischief, which is damaging property, but he's had few other brushes with the law.
As of Tuesday evening the rescued man had not been charged with a crime related to the fire, and his name had not been released.
Reach Caleb Hutton at 360-715-2276 or caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com. Read the Dispatcher at bellinghamherald.com/dispatcher-blog and follow him on Twitter at @BhamCrime.
Copyright 2014 - The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.)
