Man arrested for starting dumpster fire in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood

SEATTLE - Seattle police arrested a 29-year-old man early Tuesday after he set a recycling dumpster on fire beneath an occupied apartment building and assaulted officers.

What we know:

Officers responded at 1:26 a.m. to reports of arson in the First Hill neighborhood involving a fence and a dumpster.

Seattle firefighters extinguished the fire near 9th Avenue and James Street, and moved the dumpster away from a carport attached to the building.

A witness said the suspect had been going through the dumpster earlier with a fluorescent tube light and later returned when it was smoking and on fire.

via Seattle PD

Police found the suspect about a block away along Jefferson Street and 8th Avenue carrying a fluorescent tube light, and said he resisted arrest and struck officers.

Fire officials said the fire was set beneath apartment units with vehicles nearby and the building could have easily caught fire due to a lack of sprinklers.

Police recovered a discarded backpack containing lighters and hairspray and booked the suspect into King County Jail for investigation of arson, assault and related charges.

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