Alleged arson damages the Kingdom Halls in Olympia and Tumwater on Monday morning

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CONTAINS AGRESSOR'S VIDEO FIRING A KINGDOM HALL

Alleged arson damages the Kingdom Halls in Olympia and Tumwater on Monday morning

Fires at two Kingdom Halls of Jehovah's Witnesses in Olympia and Tumwater are being treated as a crime after a person was seen pouring a liquid around one of the buildings and setting it on fire on Monday morning.

Olympia Fire Chief Rob Bradley said he reviewed security camera images that showed a person "clearly spilling a liquid on the outside of the church." On the site, it smelled like a petroleum-based substance.

Olympia fire investigators will help the Olympia police in the investigation, he said. Bradley also said that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is sending agents to Olympia and Tumwater.

The Olympia fire started sometime before 8:20 a.m. Monday at the Kingdom Hall at 2225 Cain Road SE. Firefighters shot down the fire quickly and then the crews began rebuilding and rescue efforts, Bradley said. He estimated the cost of fire damage at $ 50,000.

No injuries were reported

In Tumwater, firefighters were sent to the Kingdom Hall at 1199 N. Ninth Ave. SO at approximately 9 a.m. M

Members of the congregation were to enter the room when they noticed smoke coming from the north side of the building, said Tumwater Fire Chief Scott LaVielle. At first they used a garden hose to fight the fire, then they called 911, he said.

LaVielle said firefighters and police determined there were two fires on the north side of the building. They also found the "glow and smell of some kind of accelerant," he said.

"We take samples," LaVielle said.

No one was injured, he said. Although the Kingdom Hall in Olympia had security cameras, the location of Tumwater did not, LaVielle said. 

http://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article205844374.html