Fire Investigators Ask for Help in Suspicious Fire That Destroyed Historic Woodinville Cabin

A $10,000 reward is being offered by the Arson Alarm Foundation for information leading to an arrest regarding the fire that destroyed the “Trapper O’Brien’s Cabin,” at the Heritage Garden around midnight on Nov. 23.

A nearby resident saw the flames coming from the building and called 911. The building was reportedly fully engulfed in fire when fire department units arrived, according to Cindi West, communications deputy for King County Sheriff’s Office. Arson was determined as the cause of the fire.

“There was no power to the building which eliminates the possibility of an electrical fire,” said King County Fire Investigator Todd Legg. “There were no lightning storms in the area that may have started the fire either. The most likely scenario was that someone deliberately took an open flame to combustible material at or about the cabin starting the fire that eventually burned the cabin to the ground.”

The historic 1800’s Woodinville building had just been before the blaze. Another around the fire pit at the Heritage Garden, two of the benches were stolen about the same time as the fire, according to garden manger Trish Knox.

If you have information about this fire you can call the Fire Investigation Unit at 206-296-6670 or the Arson Alarm Foundation at 1-800-55-ARSON. http://www.arsonalarm.org/. The Foundation has a $10,000 award fund for anyone who comes forward with information leading to an arrest and filing of charges of those responsible for this fire.

The Heritage Garden is located near  along the Sammamish River Trail and on land provided by . It was developed by the  to display crops pioneers in the Woodinville area grew, and give an idea as to the farming techniques these pioneers used. The garden’s design is based on the text from the 1867 Grange Manual.