PHOTOS: Spokane Valley firefighters responded to a series of “suspicious” fires at Mirabeau Park on Monday morning. The Spokane Valley Fire Department called the fires “suspicious in nature” in a press release on Tuesday afternoon, saying it was investigating to determine their cause. The nine fires were discovered in multiple locations throughout the park and were similar to a series of intentionally set fires that occurred along the Centennial Trail last summer, the department said.
Mirabeau Park was also victim to several “suspicious” brush fires last summer. Firefighters at that season were able to contain the brush fires to under an acre. No injuries were reported and firefighters were able to contain the fires quickly after arriving, the department said. The investigation includes coordination with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and Spokane County Fire District 4’s Arson K-9 Team. The arson detection dog, who is a member of the team, is trained to determine whether ignitable liquids were used to start the fires.
The department said that in response to “recent incidents” it would increase patrols along the Centennial Trail and Mirabeau Park. “These fires have the potential to threaten public safety, natural resources, and nearby property. We are asking the public to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious immediately,” Assistant Fire Marshal Ben Reece said. The Inland Northwest is in the midst of fire season, a time of heightened wildfire risk that has already led to dozens of regional wildfires in June alone, some of which have caused evacuations, destruction of property and loss of life.
KHQ-TV NBC 6 Spokane
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