LYNNWOOD, Wash. — At least one business burned in an overnight fire in Lynnwood, and the Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s Office has announced it is investigating the incident as arson.
The fire at Sunrooms Northwest in the 15800 block of Highway 99 was reported at 3:16 a.m. Wednesday.
Directly behind that business is Henry’s Auto Repair. There is a firewall between the businesses which helped stop the flames, but the damage is still being assessed.
When firefighters arrived, flames were showing from the roof.
Crews started attacking the fire from inside the building, but after about 20 minutes, the building was in danger of collapse, so crews evacuated and fought the flames from the outside, according to Leslie Hynes, spokesperson for South County Fire.
Both directions of Highway 99 were closed from 156th to 164th because the front of the building comes right up to the highway. The highway has since reopened.
Hynes said the fire was contained to one building.
Firefighters stayed on scene until 8 a.m. to put out hot spots.
The Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire was set intentionally and is in charge of the investigation.
About three hours later, South County Fire crews were called to an unrelated fire at an apartment complex in the 12100 block of Highway 99. The fire was reported by a passerby who saw smoke coming from a third-floor apartment window just before the building’s alarm sounded.
All residents got out of the building safely. The sprinkler system kept the fire in check and it was extinguished by firefighters, South County Fire said. The cause of that fire appeared to be electrical.