Suspect in series of arsons in Spokane arrested nearly 300 miles away in Tukwila

TUKWILA, Wash. — A suspect in a series of suspicious fires in Spokane was arrested nearly 300 miles away, after police found her in Tukwila on Thursday.

The suspect -- 53-year-old Vickie Smith -- is alleged to have started several fires in the Sunset Highway/Hills area of Spokane on Aug. 3. She now faces three counts of 1st degree arson, for fires that Spokane police described as “taxing” to firefighters and emergency responders. At the time, the blazes had homes in a handful of areas under evacuation orders.

It’s also believed that Smith could be responsible for threats made in graffiti which read “Burn Spokane down,” with the date of the fires written directly below.

In court documents released on Friday, it was also revealed that police had actually crossed paths with her in Spokane the day after the fires on a trespassing call, where she asked officers if “she was going to be arrested for lighting fires.” The responding officers didn’t arrest her at the time, though, as they were unaware of the nascent arson investigation.

It was only after security footage from a Spokane bank that showed Smith spray-painting the threatening graffiti when police reached out to her over email. In her response, she admitted to lighting eight fires in the region, and told police that she had left Spokane and was in the Seattle area.

She’s currently being held in King County Jail while she waits for extradition to Spokane.

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