By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – We’ve learned more about the circumstances surrounding the recent fire that destroyed much of the Dream Playground in Port Angeles.
The Probable Cause statement from the Prosecutor’s Office shows the fire appears to have been set by a 14-year-old Port Angeles boy, who was taken into custody on the morning of the fire last Wednesday.
Police say that when they arrived at the park at 3:45am, the playground structure was fully involved with fire and firefighters had not yet arrived. One officer saw a person running south on Francis Street, and no one else in the area. Officer Clark stopped the teen, who told him he was hanging out with friends, saw the fire, and went to see if everyone was okay.
Police later learned that the suspect gave the officer a false name, but when the officer distributed a photo of the boy he had taken at the scene, officers identified him by his real name. It turns out he was well-known to the police after having been arrested previously for Assault and Battery.
In less than an hour police were knocking on the door at the boy’s home and spoke to his mother, who told them her son was home. That’s when the teen ran out the back door, where an officer was waiting. After a brief chase, the suspect surrendered and was taken to the hospital to be cleared for his arrest.
Police report the teen had a lighter and a pocketknife, both of which appeared to have melted plastic on them. He also had singed hair, burns on his hands, melted plastic on his shoes, and smelled of smoke.
KONP does not report the names of minors suspected of a crime.