Suspicious bus fire at daycare is under investigation, Lacey police say
Lacey police have opened an investigation into a suspicious fire that destroyed a 14-passenger bus early Saturday morning at a daycare, a spokeswoman for the department said Tuesday.
Sgt. Shannon Barnes said the investigation is in the hands of detectives who are awaiting the results of an initial investigation into the cause and origin of the fire.
About 4:30 a.m. Saturday, fire crews were dispatched to the 5100 block of Lacey Boulevard Southeast after multiple reports of an explosion and fire. One of those callers reported that they thought they heard someone running from the scene.
The location of the fire was very close to Lacey Fire District 3 headquarters. Battalion Chief Tim Hulse estimated the driving time to get to the fire at 30 seconds and still the bus was fully engulfed in flames by the time crews arrived.
Although the fire damaged some trees and a fence, it did not spread to any nearby structures.
Hulse said Tuesday that he believes the fire was set and intentional. The bus hadn’t been used during the pandemic, the battery was dead and it wasn’t plugged in, he said. He also ruled out the possibility of fireworks causing the fire because the top of the bus is made of metal.
Lacey police are asking for help. Anyone with information about the fire or video is asked to call Lacey police at 360-459-4333 or South Sound Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
