He died in the 1989 Blackstock Lumber Co. arson fire. Federal agents and police Capt. He told KING-TV he called 911. The man driving the Mercedes was between thirty-five and forty years old (in 1992), with gray hair, mustache, beard, and receding hairline. There is no response to radio calls. The report explains that numerous failures led to the breakdown of the department's system of accounting for firefighters. Matthew's family filed a lawsuit against the city. Or was there a more sinister reason behind the creation of the King? Asking the obvious question here: Has Fowler ever been a suspect in these arson cases? At yesterday's press conference, Harris said, ``The communication between the firefighters and officers at the scene of the Blackstock fire was not as effective as it could have been and contributed to a breakdown in the transfer of information. However, an arson investigator named Dennis Fowler soon claimed that patterns seen in the rubble of the fire were reminiscent of a 1984 fire at the nearby Carpet Exchange Warehouse. He felt that this was unusual because of the time of night. The search for Johnson could have begun at 10 p.m., when his incoherent partner, William Meredith, staggered out of the burning building with the help of another firefighter. Johnson said her daughter-in-law, Esther, Matthew Johnson's widow, was following the advice of her attorney and would make no comment. back to Schedule. Ecology conducts reviews to make sure the controls remain effective and the cleanup still protects human health and the environment. The family of Matt Johnson, the firefighter who died at Blackstock, had long contended that Fowlers claim that the fire was an arson carried out by a master criminal was a coverup designed to hide the fact that the fire department ignored safety rules at Blackstock, leading directly to Johnsons death. However, authorities have yet to close all of the cases allegedly linked to the "King of Arsonists". And he didnt look like either of the sketches of suspects in the Blackstock fire. To obtain documents not available electronically, you will need to make a. The subject property is located at 545 to 631 Elliott Avenue West, in Seattle, Washington. Not only did Carman find that most of those fires were likely not HTA arsons at all, he revealed some things about the Puyallup test fire that Fowler and his team had kept quiet for a long time. << /Type /Page /Parent 3 0 R /Resources 6 0 R /Contents 4 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] Fowler believes that the arsonist actually hires other people to set the fires. The Blackstock Lumber fire occurred around 10pm; twenty fire trucks responded to the four-alarm blaze. The hottest temperature recorded at Puyallup was about 2300 degrees Fahrenheit, way lower than the up to 7000 degrees theorized by Fowler or the 4000-5000 degrees which Carman designated as the typical burn temperature of an HTA arson. A continent-wide spree by an unidentified mastermind is just too fantastic to make a good cover up. Dever was released from jail and eventually sued Fowler for $1.5 million in damages (he lost the first case but appealed, I can't find the result of that appeal though). https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Seattle_Arsonist. One of them, a 33-year-old woman, was treated for minor burns and released. The men were identified after tips came in regarding the sketches of possible suspects in the case. Lumber and flammable chemicals stored at the yard also could have increased the heat of the fire. Fowler first encountered the arsonist in 1984 when Seattle's Carpet Exchange Warehouse burned down in less than twenty minutes. A 63-page fire department report said the fire at the Mary Pang Food Products warehouse [Read More], SEATTLE (AP) -- Lawsuits have been filed by relatives of two of the four firefighters who died in a burning warehouse against the man charged with torching the building. 45. With the help of a group of chemists, the Fowler team identified a handful of possible candidates for the mystery fuel. Elegant, innovativ und haltbar In the episode, the King of Arsonists was called the most dangerous and clever arsonist in American history. The fuel, which the Seattle Fire Department has kept secret, was a mixture of several common ingredients that were readily available. Or was Fowler simply a victim of bad science and a willingness to seek links where links didnt really exist? The man seen leaving the fire was 6'0", well-dressed, in his early or mid thirties (in 1992), with an athletic build, dark complexion, and dark hair. What are you looking for? Blackstock Lumber Co Inc is located in Seattle, WA. The re-investigation, although eventually declaring the cause of the fire to be undetermined, considered that the original assessmentthat a vagrant trying to stay warm accidentally started the firemight be the correct one. 1039 Elliott Ave W. Seattle, WA 98119. The Seattle Lumber Experts Seattle Location (206) 623-5010 1919 4th Avenue SouthSeattle, WA98134 Products & Materials | Millwork, Shop Builders : Roofing, Paving and construction services. 110. 10 0 obj Carmans report said new evidence indicates some lumber might have been stored in the Blackstock building, after all, allowing the fire to burn more intensely. Oh, and about the Puyallup fire burning the shopping center to the ground in minutes? An interior search began about 11:50, shortly after the fire was considered under control. YEARS IN BUSINESS (206) 284-1313. Links: Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Exterior search of building begins. (Article in Seattle Times) The re-investigation came up with another possible reason that the fire might have looked suspicious: a 440-volt electrical line was still connected to a live power panel as the fire raged, and could have been the source of sparks and enormous heat. With the witnesses providing two very different descriptions, investigators felt that one of the suspects might be the King, and the other might be the person hired to start the fire. Relatives of the firefighters [Read More], SEATTLE (AP) Had firefighters checked a burning warehouse more thoroughly, they would have known where the flames were centered before four men died, an internal report has concluded. Fowler and his team theorized that the fires were started with a new and unknown type of fuel: a volatile accelerant that burned between 5000 and 7000 degrees Fahrenheit but left no measurable traces behind. Die Hber Baufachmrkte in Niederelbert und Lahnstein sind Ihre Bei Raab Karcher erhalten professionelle und private Kunden Baustoffe fr jeden Baubedarf und fr jede Grenordnu Flexibler Marmorstein Carman reported that, even though buckets of fuel were placed around support columns [of the shopping center] with the intent of maximizing damage, the building suffered no collapse and the fire didnt even burn through the ceiling. Building Materials, View supplier info & more! That does not necessarily mean the blaze was set accidentally, he added. The Seattle Fire Department was criticized and fined by the state for how it tracked firefighters battling the Blackstock fire. When the first truck arrived, the fire appeared to be controllable. An internal report by Deputy Chief S.E. 9:47 Flames are 100 feet at corners of building as Johnson, Meredith radio for help. 190 Queen Anne Ave N Ste 200, Seattle, WA 98109. The King allegedly used homemade accelerants to make his fires burn much hotter than a typical building fireup to an astonishing 7000 degrees Fahrenheit. Four other firefighters suffered minor burns and a fifth sustained a minor neck injury. The ATF study, which also has not been made public, studied Blackstock and 24 other possible HTA fires. Has there ever been a podcast done on this? Ray Risdon, said he ordered the new investigation of the fire. Do you do this as a hobby, or is this your profession? At first, officials believed that the fire was caused by a vagrant setting a small fire to keep warm. Blackstock Lumber Co Inc. Lumber Plywood & Veneers. The department appealed the 1987 findings to King County Superior Court. NOTICE We have updated our Online Stock Mouldings Catalog as well as our Special Order Mouldings Catalog! The controls are usually listed in environmental covenants recorded with the county. The Blackstock Lumber fire occurred at approximately 10 pm on September 9th, 1989. Labor and Industries fined the Fire Department, saying it had failed to protect its firefighters. "That's nice to know,. The search for Johnson didn't begin until about 11:15 p.m. By that time, said the NFPA report, flames made it impossible to enter. I'm inclined to think that the "King of Arsons" was not invented as a coverup, because it's so much more elaborate (and more fallible) than it needs to be. How do you store your wood? Matthew's family filed a lawsuit against the city. According to Fowler, the center burned to the ground in minutes leaving no trace of the accelerant behind. The most devastating air raid on Darmstadt occurred on the night of 11/12 September 1944 when No. Taylor said communications were fine at Thursday night's fire. There may be more documents related to this site. So the King of Arsonists case wasn't the first time Fowler had been off base in claiming arson where there was none. Paul Harvey, president of Firefighters Union Local 17, and Battalion Chief Scott McEwen, president of the Seattle Fire Chiefs Association, representing 23 battalion and deputy chiefs, said they did not have a copy of the NFPA report and could not comment. I'm just disappointed in the criticism of Matt,'' he said. He also determined that many of the fires that were believed to have been caused by HTAs were not caused by them; instead, either standard accelerants were used or the fires were accidents. Fowler and his team next researched several similar fires all over the United States and Canada over the previous ten years. Shortly after the Blackstock blaze, the Fire Department was criticized for using conflicting strategies. Blackstock Lumber Co Inc is located in Seattle, WA. EVENTS AT THE SEPT. 9, 1989, BLACKSTOCK FIRE. The case was settled in 1992 for $750,000. I saw the King of Arsonists segment the other day and thought I'd write about it. 2 0 obj Carpet & Rug Dealers, View supplier info & more! Is it protected from the elements. Investigators believe that the man was the arsonist and that he had set the fire and waited until crowds gathered before he walked away from the scene. The Fire Department was cited for two ``serious, willful'' violations, each of which drew a maximum penalty of $50,000, for failing to start a prompt search for Johnson and for not keeping proper track of individual crew members. I didn't find any suggestions that he might have started any of the fires--I know there was another case where the investigator was proven to be the arsonist, but it doesn't look like that happened here. Arson investigation experts believed that the King was responsible for as many as 20 building fires in the US and Canada, fires which resulted in the deaths of two firefighters. The code does not now cover safety factors in vacant buildings. One firefighter died and two others were treated for heat exhaustion. Service honors firefighter who died in blaze, Firemen's distress calls weren't heard at scene, Seattle fined $102,400 in firefighter's death, Deadly blaze in Seattle similar to Spokane fire, Firefighter's Widow Sues Seattle Fire Department, Arsonists used high-tech fuel in 9 state fires, officials say, Weyco fire lab hot on trail of arson cases, Blackstock Arson To Get TV Exposure -- 2 Men Linked To Fire That Killed 1 In 1989, High Temperature Accelerant Fires by Steven Carman, State agency says city of Seattle withholding records of fire probe, Blackstock Fire Wasn't Arson -- New Probe Makes Different Finding, Lumber Fire Likely Set By Transients - Report On Blackstock Company Blaze Rules Out High-Tech Arson, 25 Years Ago Today - Firefighters from Seattle and Puyallup torched a Puyallup building, Reddit Discussion of the Seattle Arsonist. Results: Unresolved. Finally, a 440-volt electrical line still connected to a live power panel is believed to have helped spread the fire and cause sparks and "pyrotechnics" seen by witnesses. [citation needed] The fire burned the lumber warehouse to the ground and was responsible for the death of a Seattle firefighter, 32-year-old Matt Johnson. {xO$S]%&7g>r=g8` 10:40 Johnson's radio, from Meredith, is returned to fire scene. A newspaper reported the building had been under surveillance after the company occupying the structure received arson threats. Interest in the "King of Arsonists" began after the Blackstock Lumber Company fire of September 9, 1989. 11:48 Fire under control, interior search started. Lastly, the fire originally was deemed to be a controllable, relatively low-temperature blaze when firefighters first arrived at the scene, but later the fire suddenly burst out of controlprobably when the fire reached the live power line. It appears, then, that there is ample evidence that The King of Arsonists was really just a ghost. MOULDINGS Blackstock Lumber Co., Inc. 1039 Elliott Avenue West Seattle, WA 98119 Phone (206) . CUTLINE: CRAIG FUJII / SEATTLE TIMES: INVESTIGATORS SEARCH THE SCENE OF THE BLACKSTOCK FIRE IN SEPTEMBER 1989. Fire Chief Claude Harris and other fire officials spent the night with families of the missing firefighters, Taylor said. After trying unsuccessfully to find their way out, the officer began calling for help on his portable radio. stream Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, "just about everything we thought we knew about arson is wrong". HIMACS una pietra acrilica naturale in grado di assumere qualsiasi forma. "The conclusion that it was arson and started with the use of those high-temperature accelerant chemicals was based on the information investigators had available at that time," Taylor said. "Well I came down here and saw smoke, went in and tried to grab a few things, got my guitars and it was apparent the building was definitely on fire," said Matthew Fox. The report said Johnson and Meredith separated in the smoke-filled building, contrary to both department and national safety standards. Two years ago, firefighter Robert Earhart died fighting a blaze in a vacant apartment house. A, C, D, E, F and G. Meredith staggers from building, incoherent. Periodic reviews are required when institutional controls are required at a site. Pang is aware that a team of federal agents and an [Read More], Plea may be in works for Pang SEATTLE -- A plea agreement may be in the works for Martin Pang, accused of setting a 1995 warehouse blaze in which four Seattle firefighters died, including James T. Brown, 25, of Port Orchard. The fire was so intense that it melted concrete and warped steel beams. The second was when the firefighter who found Meredith misidentified the crew to which he belonged and didn't question where the rest of the crew was. The problem is that the King of Arsonists never existed in the first place. They had knocked the flames down to half their original height when the explosion came, Berkey said. However, the fire soon spread to other parts of the lumberyard and became one of the biggest fires in recent Seattle history. Most of the HTA arsons attributed to him werent arsons at all. However, the fires that he set usually used gasoline and were not as sophisticated as the ones allegedly set by the arsonist. g,6:nnvp{S1SrIX+zEqG*^ B~^ivk^-zf0OvdS:@:IvXt*%NenH2E5+{tpi;=jv^f?C?3i9FbV3^RS 9NZ2[D.Ka{tk{u[H6?^?rHQJb8Fe8{)$+l4[DQ+4QrU=C +Rwl-E}W,`nLU}}Q6gv{qwk Lumber and chemicals stored at the facility then caused the fire to reach such high temperatures. Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location. Flames prevent interior search. Based on the new information, the fire has been downsized from HTA to a finding of undetermined, Risdon said. Spokane blows out 10th-seeded Bellevue in physical game; Gonzaga Prep falls to Olympia, Spokane Valley tax preparer has misled clients that he is an attorney, Washington Attorney General's Office says, 'I'm just trying to find a spot here': Former Gonzaga star Rui Hachimura adjusts to life as a Los Angeles Laker, Movie Review: 'Jesus Revolution' a sanitized, scattered story about religious movement. The department's fire-investigation unit re-investigated the fire, and has withdrawn its finding that the blaze was started by someone using chemicals, Georgia Taylor, Seattle Fire Department information officer, said today. Unfortunately for Fowler and his team, cracks were already starting to appear in the foundation of their argument. "The death of four firefighters is sufficient to bring out all the available resources" to determine the cause of the fire, Police Chief Norm Stamper said. The report reasons that it is imprudent to send firefighters inside vacant buildings, since they usually aren't worth much and there's little risk that someone is inside. There is no evidence that Ive seen to support the theory that we have a giant conspiracy, or even a small conspiracy, with some mad scientist running around the country, Carman told the P-I. In Sept 1989, a 4-alarm fire broke out at Blackstock, one of the biggest blazes in recent history, killing firefighter Lt. Matthew Johnson. The Seattle Lumber Experts Seattle Location (206) 623-5010 1919 4th Avenue SouthSeattle, WA98134 Products & Materials | Millwork, Shop Builders : Roofing, Paving and construction services. Lumber, There's a lot of things we have to look at," the P-I reported. The case was settled in 1992 for $750,000. I only ever hear about Puyallup, WA in relation to true crime stories. Fire crews pulled back after the explosion and floor collapse, re-entered the building for about a half hour to search for the missing crew, then were forced to pull back again because "it was very dangerous," Taylor said. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. Blackstock Lumber - Underground Storage Tank Closure Observation and Documentation, Blackstock Lumber - Quarterly Groundwater Monitoring Status Report, Blackstock Lumber - Remedial Environmental Assessment, Blackstock Lumber - NW3170 - Termination Letter, Blackstock Lumber - NW3170 - Request for Status Letter, Blackstock Lumber - NW3170 - NW3170 - Agreement and acceptance letter, Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Diesel, Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Other, Copyright Washington State Department of Ecology, Restrict All Ground Water Extraction/Well Installation. Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens. The segment on several fires which destroyed businesses in the Seattle area featured interviews from Seattle fire officials and arson investigators who dubbed the perpetrator of these fires the King of Arsonists. Mary Pang, who with her husband, Harry, owns the business, said no employees were inside when the fire broke out. Subsequently, the Department embarked on an fervent attempt to This contaminant list was based on our best information at the time it was entered. A Hart-Crowser Phase I Environmental Assessment (1989) identified previous occupants of the property including the Seattle Lumber Company (1910's to 1930's . Deputy Chief Rod Bower was the first commander on the scene and, from a front corner of the building, initiated the strategies. Hargrove has Meredith taken to medics, then hospital. On September 9, 1989, fire claimed the life of a Seattle fire lieutenant at the Blackstock Lumber Company. 4. 5 Group of the Royal Air Force (RAF) bombed the city. When fire crews arrived Wednesday night, the warehouse at the lumber yard near the palm tree was fully engulfed, Bell said. The Blackstock Lumber Co. fire that killed firefighter Lt. Matthew Johnson and injured another in September 1989, was not arson after all, the Seattle Fire Department says. The officer, Battalion Chief Paul Hargrove, then listed Meredith and the man he thought was his partner as safely out of the building, the report says. Iris Schweizer. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> Originally, he was thought to be the arsonist. Investigators also found that a 440-volt electrical line was still linked to a power panel and may have been the source of sparks. Seattle Fire Chief Claude Harris outlined four major goals for addressing the problems cited in a National Fire Protection Association report on the Blackstock Lumber Co. fire: -- Improve communications at fire scenes by creating a special communications team and placing a communications van at all major emergencies. That last part became key to the investigation of the Blackstock fire, as witnesses identified at least two different persons of interest. Was im Jahre 2002 mit Ausbesserungs- un Spanndecken und Zubehr Online-Shop fr Privat- und Geschftskunden. "Carman has shown that there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that all of the 25 fires reported to be HTA are proven, that there is the possibility of alternative methods of those being started," Dietz said. A bigger problem, though, came when the Blackstock fire was re-examined by the Seattle Fire Department and a team of independent investigators. SEATTLE (AP) _ A spectacular four-alarm blaze destroyed an old lumber yard building near the waterfront, shooting flames 60 feet in the air that were visible from some areas across Puget Sound. The new report by the Seattle Fire Department concludes the Blackstock fire may have been accidentally set by transients, the P-I reported. Jim Blackstock, co-owner of the lumber company, said he was visited about three months ago by an ATF agent who indicated officials no longer believed the fire was arson. Another eyewitness claimed that she saw a suspicious man after the fire was set. One firefighter died and two others were treated for heat exhaustion. Known organization president is James Blackstock. The van will be staffed by three people who will monitor radio and other firefighting communications. Thats still hotter than a normal firebut then the Puyallup fire was set with 462 pounds of accelerant according to Carman. Bravo to you for this excellent write up. The lack of oxygen and intense heat left Matt unable to move. I'm even willing to believe that Fowler himself genuinely did think there was a dastardly King of Arsonists roaming North America with his powerful mystery substance. Find Reviews, Ratings, Directions, Business Hours, Contact Information and book online appointment. Rather, he hired or persuaded others to set the fires using his precise instructions. >> Hard to tell if Dennis was power crazy, or well-intentioned but flawed. The man had been wearing all of his protective gear and breathing equipment, Bhang said. Larry Farrar confirmed arson threats had been made to the company but did not give details, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported today. Fasteners-Industrial, Crews continued to douse hot spots in the gutted building, and a crane arrived about 6:30 a.m. to remove dangerous debris so investigators could enter the structure. However, only someone with a specific knowledge of chemistry would know how to put all of the ingredients together. If youve never been involved in building a new Frankfurt home or doing a house renovation, youll be amazed at the variety of Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany building supplies and manufacturers that exist today. This reminds me of Satanic Panic cases, or the Wenatchee child abuse cases. The system, he said, meets NFPA standards. So what led Fowler and his team to push the King of Arsonists theory? We always figured it was just bums cooking hot dogs, a police source told the newspaper. And that, apparently, was as far as the investigation got by September 1992, when the Unsolved Mysteries episode aired. Molded Panel Series - Blackstock Lumber Co., Inc. EN. The state said we had no accountability system, and we have one.''. Only eight days before the Unsolved Mysteries episode was shown on national TV, Keller started a fire at Seattles Four Freedoms retirement home, resulting in the deaths of three of its residents. In February 1995, a new investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms into the Blackstock lumberyard fire determined that it was an accident. Investigators now say the cause is undetermined. Mount Dora, Tavares, Lake County and Eustis fire departments all. << /ProcSet [ /PDF /Text ] /ColorSpace << /Cs1 7 0 R >> /Font << /F2.0 9 0 R -- Enhance training to emphasize the team-and-partner approach to fighting fires. Authorities are currently investigating suspicious insurance claims for fires across the nation for connections to the arsonist. While the crowds were looking at the fire in progress, the man was apparently walking away from the area, paying no attention to the large fire nearby. Instead, they determined that transients most likely started the fire accidentally while trying to keep warm. Behind the house the land pitched sharply to the fast-running Tyger River on the north and northeast. The cause of death was not immediately determined. The fires set by this arsonist were especially dangerous because the oxygen in their water only made the fire burn faster and hotter. King of Arsonists sounds pretty badass, but Emperor of Arsonists has a better ring to it. The Carpet Exchange fire was a brutally intense fire that reduced the warehouse to ashes in 20 minutes and was hot enough to boil the concrete floor of the facility. Janitors Equipment & Supplies, The city fire department set up a tracking system for firefighters after the Blackstock fire. Johnson's body was not found until 1 a.m. Unknown" said he was in the building preparing for a practice session when he discovered the fire. Blackstock Lumber Co. Inc at 1039 Elliott Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119. (Carman's entire report can be found on PDF here.). Fire Department's Safety Fines Slashed Mar 7, 1991 Dee Norton Record fines the state levied against the Seattle Fire Department for safety violations at the 1989 Blackstock Lumber Co.. A series of tests were done with various types of fuels in order to determine which one the arsonist used. A witness, Charles A. Berkey, who lives nearby, described the 7:40 p.m. explosion as a "whomp" sound, rather than a loud blast. [1] 66,000 of the 110,000 inhabitants of Darmstadt at the time became homeless. Hargrove's misidentification becomes important because it occurred at a time when firefighters might still have been able to enter the building. The department had requested the review by the association. Johnson, low on air, gives Meredith radio, lies on floor. They found at least twenty other fires in both the United States and Canada that seemed to be started by the same individual, known as the "King of Arsonists". The property encompasses approximately 3 acres, and is bounded by Elliott Avenue to the east, Burlington Northern Railroad tracks to the west, and commercial/light industrial businesses to the north and south.
