Police arrest Puyallup man for starting large wildfire

PUYALLUP, Wash. — Puyallup police and state troopers arrested a 36-year-old Puyallup man Wednesday for allegedly starting a large brushfire which temporarily shut down state Route 167 and several ramps near Meridian Avenue.

A man with the exact same name as the one police arrested recorded a Facebook live of that fire saying he reported it to first responders.

Puyallup police told KIRO7 News they were made aware of the Facebook live -- which showed his interaction with officers -- after the arrest.

“I’m out here on 167 right now,” the man said in the live stream. " Looks like a fire literally just started and I just rolled up on it and it looks like it’s going crazy. I’m here with the police and they’re talking to me about it because I just called it in."

In Graham, a person was seen intentionally setting fire to a field in front of a business in the 10400 block of 229th St E. early Wednesday morning.

“This was one hundred percent intentional, there is zero doubt,” Said Jonas Pettit, the owner of Vac Tech Septic and Water.

Surveillance shows the suspect drive up, dumping gasoline and a match, setting fire to dry grass next to the business.

Pierce County detectives have the video--which doesn’t show the suspect or the vehicle--but Pettit says it does shows a random act of potential devastation.

“You watch the flame and then where he flips it, and it just boom! Big ball of flame,” he said.

Firefighters and a lack of wind kept the flames from destroying their business only a few yards beyond the burn.

“If the wind would’ve been blowing like it was the other night, you wouldn’t have stopped this, it would have added onto the other fire in Graham,” Pettit said.

The area is only a couple of miles from the Graham fire which destroyed eight homes.

VIDEO: Investigators looking into whether some wildfires were intentionally set

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