Two fires at a construction site near Maltby early Wednesday morning have been ruled arsons.
The Snohomish County Fire Marshal's Office is asking for tips from the public. There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction, investigator Ed Hardesty said Thursday.
Two homes under construction were damaged and another was nearly gutted, said Heather Chadwick, a spokeswoman for Fire District 7. The initial damage estimate is $500,000.
There were at least two separate fires, and a third attempted arson, Hardesty said.
“At this time I have no suspects,” he said.
The two-alarm fire was reported just before 6:30 a.m. Wednesday along 188th Street SE near Broadway Avenue. Dawn broke about 40 minutes later.
Crews arrived to find flames shooting from one house under construction and smoke coming from a second house. Signs of another ignition were found in a third house in the final stages of construction.
The property owner arrived at the scene after learning of the fires. The man was taken to a hospital to be checked, Chadwick said. It was unclear Thursday whether he had suffered a medical emergency or had injuries from the fire.
The location is just a few miles from Echo Lake Road. In 2008, a nearby development in that area was the scene of the “Street of Dreams” arsons. Several luxury homes were destroyed or damaged — about $7 million worth of property.