Bellevue Police and Bellevue Fire responded to three separate fires over the Fourth of July and into the weekend; at least two appear to be fireworks related. On July 5, someone used fireworks to cause extensive damage to the bathrooms at Surrey Downs Park in the 11100 Block of SE 4th St.
On July 8, someone set a fire on the roof at the Puesta Del Sol Elementary School. It’s unknown what caused that fire, but fireworks debris was located at the scene.
The third fire occurred on July 9 on the Phantom Lake Elementary School playground. The blaze destroyed the playground equipment.
“We are asking anyone who saw anything or has any information about these fires to please give us a call,” said Captain Rob Spingler. “Not only did we see tens of thousands of dollars in damage with these fires, but it’s also incredibly dangerous, and we’re lucky no one was injured.”
The region is tinder dry following a hot and dry weather stretch, which can cause fire to spread rapidly. Embers from a fire can float through the air and spark new fires far from the original incident. “We urge people to use extreme caution with any recreational fires,” cautioned Deputy Fire Chief Andy Adolfson. “We highly encourage those close to forested areas and wildlands to take preventative measures by removing brush and other combustibles from around homes and other structures.”
Anyone with any information about the three recent fires is urged to call the police non-emergency number at 425-452-6917 with any information.
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