Nearly two weeks after a massive fire erupted at a boat storage facility on Lake Union, the general manager from the Seattle Boat Company watched as the rubble came crashing down.
James Baker remembered the night he got the phone call that the storage facility was on fire. "I was in disbelief," Baker said. "My first thoughts were what do we need to do to contain the site, we have experts on it, a great team, and trying to figure out what the process is."
Arther Arakelov, 31, is accused of starting the fire around 2:15 a.m. on March 22, causing more than $8.5 million in damages, according to officials.
Seattle Fire Department (SFD) Deputy Chief Tom Walsh said more than 100 firefighters responded to the Seattle Boat Company, located on the 700 block of Northeast Northlake Way. Walsh said thick black smoke was coming from the fire and flames were estimated to be 50-70 feet in the air.
The SFD said crews found a man on one of the boats docked near the fire. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition and questioned by police, the SFD said. The Seattle Police Department said that man was Arakelov, who was seen on surveillance video allegedly climbing down one of the boat racks with a torch lighter after the fire was set.
Charging documents do not state a motive for the fire.
Setting the marina fire was not the first crime Arakelov committed that night, according to charging documents. Prior to the fire, Arakelov allegedly broke into a nearby building to steal items, prosecutors said.
At the time of his arrest, prosecutors said Arakelov was listed on warrants for six criminal cases, two of which were active warrants for his arrest.
Prosecutors said Arakelov has convictions for a bevy of other crimes in the last 10 years, too, including resisting arrest, possession of vehicle theft tools, reckless driving and possession of narcotics for sale. They said they believe he is a danger to the community.
Arakelov is scheduled to appear in court next on April 27. His trial date is slated for May 25.
"It's good to see some progress," Baker said. "Boating season is right around the corner and we want to make sure we get our customers back on the water as soon as we can."