Deputies investigating arson in Kingston, man arrested after threatening firefighters

KINGSTON – A home and a vehicle were destroyed in a fire at a chaotic scene off Highway 104 Wednesday, and the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office said it was investigating the incident as an arson. A man who investigators believe set the house and vehicle on fire threatened firefighters with an axe and was taken into custody after a struggle with a deputy, the office said.

Sgt. Ken Dickinson, a spokesman for the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, said that investigators believe the 41-year-old man who had set the fire at the home on Burkes Lane, near Miller Bay Road, was living at the residence.

The incident prompted a large emergency response, drawing police and fire responders from nearby jurisdictions. First responders were called to the scene at about 11 a.m.

The man investigators believe started the initial fire at the house and vehicle then "...went to a neighboring property and began pouring gasoline on the neighboring property, I suspect in an effort to start that on fire," Dickinson said. A neighbor at that property confronted the man and fired shots at him, scaring him off, Dickinson said, noting that there were no injuries in the shooting and that the neighbor was cooperating with investigators.

The man returned and threatened firefighters responding to the scene. The man grabbed an axe from a fire rig, but a deputy, with the help of firefighters, was able to take the man into custody after a struggle, Dickinson said.

The man was taken to the hospital for "minor" injuries, and the deputy was not injured.

Firefighters were unable to save the home and a vehicle, the sheriff's office said. No injuries were reported in connection with the fires.

Firefighters from North Kitsap Fire and Rescue, the Poulsbo Fire Department, the Bainbridge Island Fire Department and Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue responded to the scene to help with the incident, where a second alarm, a request for additional emergency response resources, had been dispatched.

Nathan Pilling is a reporter covering Bainbridge Island, North Kitsap and Washington State Ferries for the Kitsap Sun. He can be reached at 360-792-5242, nathan.pilling@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter at @KSNatePilling.

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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Deputies investigate arson in Kingston, man arrested after threats