1998 — Apr 27, Arson? fire, Arlington Manor elderly/disabled boarding home, Arlington, WA– 8

–8  AP. “Fatal blaze may have been arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-5-1998, p. 9.

–8  AP. “Fire not…first tragedy woman, 90…survived.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p6.

–8  AP. “Investigators blame boarding home fire on…suicide.” The Chronicle, Centralia, WA, 12-14-1998, A4.

–8  AP. “Investigators not sure…care-center fire…arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-7-1998, p. 9.

–8  AP. “Police close case on fatal home fire.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 8-12-1998, A4.

–8  AP. “Police: No surviving suspects in fire.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 8-13-1998, 14.

–8  Everett Herald, WA. “Deadliest events in Snohomish County history.” 3-25-2014

–8  Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. “State fines Arlington Fire Department.” 1-13-1998, p. 9.

–7  AP. “Care center blaze kills 7 in Arlington…smoking in bed.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, 4-28-1998, 1 & 2.

–7  AP. “Last check found few infractions at facility.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p1.

–7  Seattle Times (Gene Balk). “The Puget Sound area’s deadliest fires.” 1-1-2011.

 

Narrative Information

 

April 28: “Arlington, Wash (AP) — Seven people have died from a late-night fire at a care center in a 90-year-old converted hospital, and 25 others were taken to hospitals. The fire at the Arlington Manor, assisted-living center broke out about 11 p.m. Monday and was quickly contained to a relatively small area, but not before thick smoke spread throughout the long, narrow, two-story wood-frame building, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Koontz said. ‘Most of th building had filled with hot gas and black smoke’ by the time firefighters arrived, he said. ‘This is just what we hop never happens — a fire in an old folks’ home,’ Koontz said.

 

“Five persons were found dead at the home overnight, and a sixth persons was found this morning. One of the two women taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle died this morning, while a second person remained in critical condition.

 

“The cause of the fire was not immediately known. However, Bob Kraski, the mayor of this small town about 40 miles north of Seattle said today that residents of the home had widespread access to cigarettes and lighters, and apparently were smoking inside, despite rules against it. He also said a second-floor fire door had been kept open with a concrete block. ‘They had been smoking in rooms, probably in beds…almost every room, Kraski said after touring the building with fire officials.

 

“Kraski said the blaze was discovered when a staff member opened a resident’s room and found that person on fire. The room was next to the staircase leading to the second floor, and the flames quickly spread, he said. ‘All signs point to’ smoking by a resident as the cause, Kraski said.

 

“A neighbor, Pat Evans, said women who work at the center told her they had just come on shift when the noticed the fire. ‘They had just walked through and they saw the flames and the black smoke,’ she said. ‘They ran upstairs and began pulling people out of bed. ‘The smoke was just following them up the stairs.’

 

“Koontz said 32 residents and two staff members were in the home when the fire broke out. At least 25 people were taken to hospitals in Arlington, Everett and Seattle. ‘We thought it was prudent to have all of them go to the hospital,’ he said.

 

“One of the ladies in the kitchen came up and started hollering ‘Fire! Get out! Get out!’ Gene Oakley, a resident at the home, told Seattle’s KIRO-TV. ‘I didn’t have time to get scared really. I thought all the way out, my God, I should be down on my knees crawling with all this smoke, but somebody was pulling me too fast. I didn’t have time to do anything,’ he said.

 

“Two women were airlifted to Harborville Medical Center in Seattle. Violet McClure, 75, died this morning, while Marion McServey, 66, was in critical condition with burns and smoke inhalation, hospital spokesman Larry Zalin said.

 

“Twelve people were treated at Providence General Medical Center in Everett and the released. Eleven were checked for smoke inhalation at Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington and released.

 

“The names and ages of those victims were not immediately available. The home’s residents are elderly, but for the most part are ambulatory. Evans said she knew of three residents whe were confined to wheelchairs.

 

“Those killed were on both the first and second floors, in the portion of the building where the fire was worst, Koontz said.

 

“The cause of the fire — which apparently began on the first floor and spread to the second floor and roof — was under investigation. The center does not have sprinklers.

 

“Fire Capt. Dean Olsen Jr. said the building was built in 1908. It served as a hospital until 1959, when it was remodeled as a home for the elderly. It had been remodeled a couple of times since then, but not recently enough to require sprinklers under newer building codes, he said. The building was equipped with smoke detectors, but Koontz said he did not know what role that played, in any, an alerting residents.

 

“The center is owned by Jora Inc., whose president is John Rathjen of Bakersfield, Calif., said Dave Duskin, an Arlington attorney who represents the company. Rathjen has an unlisted telephone number and could not immediately be reached for comment.

 

“The Red Cross was helping residents find other lodging.

 

“Evans said she and her husband, Harry, invited residents into their home before they were taken to hospitals. Some had lived in the center for more than 25 years, Evans said. Most were quiet and some had a ‘silent tear’ pass down their cheeks, she said. ‘We passed the dog around so they could pat the little dog, and that helped,’ she said.

 

“Fire departments from neighboring communities helped the Arlington department, which has five paid firefighters and 43 volunteers. The two-alarm fire was expanded to three alarms to call in additional ambulances to transport people to hospitals.” (Associated Press. “Care center blaze kills 7 in Arlington. Officials suspect tragedy linked to smoking in bed.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, 4-28-1998, pp. 1 and 2.)

 

April 29: “Olympia (AP) — Fire inspectors who checked out the aging Arlington Manor last summer turned up only minor problems — certainly noshing that gave any hint of the deadly fire that would kill eight people, state regulators say. ‘But any time you have a structure that is 90 years old, anything can happen. Something can spark. And in a facility that old, it can be tragic,’ said Washington State Patrol Capt. Marshall Pugh, spokesman for the state fire marshal’s office.

 

“The manor was operating with a lapsed license, but only because the Department of Health hadn’t inspected the facility for health and safety factors since June 1996.

 

“The facility is a converted hospital licensed as a boarding home to care for up to 39 elderly and handicapped people who need some help, but not full nursing-home care. It is one of 463 state-licensed boarding homes. The facilities have a total capacity of 20,105 people and range in size from three residents to about 200, said Denny McKee, an official with the Washington Department of Social and Health Services.

 

“The Arlington Manor and similar facilities must meet both fire and health and safety inspections regularly.

 

“McKee and Pugh said Tuesday the last fire inspection at Arlington Manor was done last August. Two fairly minor infractions were noted, dealing with emergency lights and exit sings. A reinspection in October showed that the problems had been corrected. Inspectors did not notice people smoking cigarettes inside the building or any fire doors propped open, as local inspectors think may have been to blame for the death toll, Pugh said in an interview….” (AP. “Last check found few infractions at facility.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p1.)

 

April 29: “Arlington, Wash. (AP) — Christine Lenz survived the Depression by moving with her German husband from Chicago to rejoin his well-to-do family in Berlin. He and their eldest son were conscripted into the Nazi forces and died, and their hours was bombed into rubble, but she and the other five children survived, boarding one of the first ships back to the United States after World War II.

 

“On Monday night, at age 90, Lenz survived once again, rolling her wheelchair out of Arlington Manor care center to escape a fire that killed eight of the 32 residents.…

 

“Lenz was among 26 residents, many of them Alzheimer’s patients, slightly retarded or under treatment of mild mental disorders, who were taken to area hospitals. Two staff members escaped injury….

 

“Of the hospitalized residents, 24 were treated, released and admitted to nursing homes or other care centers in the area or were taken in by relatives, Red Cross officials said.

 

“The Snohomish County medical examiner said six of the victims died of smoke inhalation. Their identities were being withheld early today. The causes of death for the seventh victim, Violet McClure, 75, and the eighth, Marion McServey, 66, were not immediately announces. Both died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle…

 

“Residents were barred from smoking in their rooms, and those caught violating that rule had their cigarettes taken away and could get them from staff only to smoke in common areas and outside, said David E. Duskin, a lawyer for center owner John Rathjen of Bakersfield, Calif. Each time that happened, a report was filed with the state, Duskin added.

 

‘At the time of the fire, the only resident permitted to keep cigarettes in her room was a woman who lived in the room where the fire stared, Duskin said.” (Associated Press. “Fire not the first tragedy woman, 90, has survived.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p. 6.)

 

May 5: “Arlington, Wash. (AP) — A fire that killed eight women residents of a boarding home may have been deliberately set, court papers indicate. A 62-year-old resident of the Arlington Manor assisted-care center reportedly threatened to burn down the building early on the night of the fire, after a staff member caught her smoking stolen cigarettes, a police affidavit said. The affidavit was made public Monday [May 4]. No arrests have been made and the investigation is continuing. The affidavit by police Chief Steve Robinson noted that the female resident, who had been at the home for four years, regularly made such comments when she was angry.

 

“Of the 32 residents — many of them Alzheimer’s patients, slightly retarded or under treatment for mild mental disorders — w of them were at least 70 years old.

 

“The April 27 blaze at the two-story, wood-frame building has been ‘determined to be inconsistent with an accidental fire,’ Snohomish County Deputy Fire Marshall Gary T. Bontrager said. Bontrager was quoted by Robinson in an affidavit filed in support of a search warrant. In the affidavit, Robinson said there was evidence of first-degree arson and first-degree murder in the fire that gutted a residential room and spread dense smoke throughout the 90-year-old former hospital…

 

“Six residents were found dead after the fire and two died on April 28 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle….

 

“In the affidavit filed last Wednesday, Robinson said Bontrager told him the fire originated under a vacant bed in a residential room. Among items seized by police were a perfume bottle, a partial pack of cigarettes, a disposable lighter, a partial book of matches and patient medical records. The woman suspect was not injured in the fire.” (Associated Press. “Fatal blaze may have been arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-5-1998, p. 9.)

 

May 7: “Arlington, Wash. (AP) — The first theory was smoking in bed. Then investigators indicated it was arson. Now Police Chief Steve Robinson says investigators haven’t decided whether the fire that killed eight women residents of a boarding home was deliberately set. In a news conference and interview Wednesday [May 6], Robinson said the fire started late on the night of April 27 in ‘the area of the bed’ occupied by Thelma Johnson, 56, at Arlington Manor, an assisted-care center… ‘At this time, investigators are unable to make a determination that the fire was intentionally or accidentally set,’ Robinson said in his prepared comments. ‘Investigators will continue to evaluate all information and reports. The results from lab testing are not anticipated for several weeks.’

 

“Robinson said no one was in custody or under guard, nor would he indicate who might be responsible. ‘Anybody that we might want to interview…we are not concerned with them running away,’ he said.

 

“Robinson said evidence recovered to date disproved two early theories — that the fire was caused by smoking in bed, a violation of house rules, and that it started under an empty bed in a room occupied by Johnson and two other women who died. ‘The fire was determined to have been set by the use of a hand-held flame that was used to ignite available bedding materials,; the statement said.” (Associated Press. “Investigators not sure that care-center fire was arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-7-1998, p. 9.)

 

Aug 12: “Arlington (AP) — Police have closed their criminal investigation of a fire that killed eight women residents of a boarding home, saying there are ‘no surviving suspects.’ Police also said in a statement Tuesday [Aug 11] they found no evidence of any flammable substance or accelerant used in the fire at Arlington Manor. The statement did not say whether police believe the fire, which started in the area of resident Thelma Johnson’s bed, was started accidentally or deliberately….Johnson, 56, was among the victims, as were two other women who lived in the same room…” (Associated Press. “Police close case on fatal home fire.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 8-12-1998, A4.)

 

Aug 13: “Arlington, Wash. (AP) — Police…[said] Wednesday [12^th] no one will ever know whether the fire was set accidentally or intentionally. ‘There are no witnesses to the fire being set and no surviving suspects,’ Police Chief Steve Robinson told reporters at a news conference. The type of fire and the speed with which it accelerated led investigators to believe it was caused by a ‘hand-held flame’ — possibly a cigarette lighter or book of matches — that ignited bedding, Robin said. No lighter or matches were recovered however, he said.

 

“The April 27 fire at Arlington Manor started in the area of resident Thelma Johnson’s bed, but Robinson said it was impossible to determine which of the three women started the fire. ‘I am not going to point to anyone in that room as a primary suspect because there’s no evidence to support that,’ he said. He said investigators ruled out a cigarette, which would have caused a smoldering fire. Johnson, 56, was a smoker, ‘although whether she was smoking in the room or not, we don’t know,’ Robinson said.

 

“They also ruled out all probability of anyone outside the room starting the fire, including a 62-year-old woman who routinely threatened to burn the building down when told not to smoke. She was asleep when a bed check was made 10 minutes before the fire started, he said….

 

“Robinson said no lawsuits have been filed and that the governor has appointed a talk force to look into the matter.” (Associated Press. “Police: No surviving suspects in fire.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 8-13-1998, p. 14.)

 

Dec 14: “Arlington (AP) — A fire in which eight women died at a boarding home last spring was started in a suicide attempt by a mentally ill resident, a newspaper reported. Investigative records obtained under state open-records laws include a finding that Thelma Johnson ignited her bedding at Arlington Manor with a match or lighter, The Herald of Everett reported Sunday.

 

“Although Police Chief Steve Robinson said in August it was impossible to determine which of the three women in Johnson’s room started the fire, five Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives have concluded that Johnson set the fire in a suicide attempt April 27. Deputy fire marshal Gary Bontrager’s report also said it was ‘highly unlikely’ that someone else set the fire in Johnson’s bed while she was asleep. None of the reports was dated. ‘We know where the fire was started, and I think we need to do justice to the other families to let them know that their relatives are not suspects,’ Sheriff Rick Bart told the Herald.

 

“Robinson, who requested county help in the investigation, told the Herald the probe by his officers was less to find out who set the fire than to determine with hard evidence whether a crime had been committed. ‘We came to the conclusion that there was not conclusive evidence as to who set the fire, he told the Herald. ‘There was certainly circumstantial evidence and a lot of speculation.’

 

“Documents obtained by the Herald also cited safety problems, including the use of a 10-pound brick to hold open a fire door, staff-only fire drills, and fire alarms that went off falsely so often that residents came to ignore them.

 

“The two-story, wood frame building…has been shut down since the fire….

 

“Johnson, 56, who had a long history of schizophrenia and once set a fire at a mental hospital in neighboring Skagit County, was among those who died in the fire. Relatives said she had attempted suicide twice in recent years by cutting her wrists and neck. Her mental illness usually could be controlled with medication, but she was increasingly withdrawn, depressed and delusional after being treated for pneumonia at a hospital a few weeks before the fire, the report said. She told one staffer that the home employees were impostors bent on doing here harm. She told relatives her psychiatrist had blown up the White House and that she was surrounded by Communists. On the day of the fire, Johnson told a few workers and residents she’d be going home for good soon and that God had forgiven her sins. She also refused to take her anti-psychotic medication that night.

 

“‘It was a preventable tragedy, and that would be the theory of any lawsuit that came out, that they had a duty to supervise,’ said Jeff Sadler of Tacoma, a lawyer for Johnson’s daughter, Kristy Hayes. To date, no claim or lawsuit has been filed.

 

“David E. Duskin, a lawyer for the owners of the shut-down boarding home, John and Charlotte Rathjen of Bakersfield, Calif., said he did not believe anyone ever told the staff Johnson previously set a fire. He would not discuss the issue in more detail because of the possibility of litigation.

 

“Smoking was restricted to designated areas in the boarding home, and most residents were prohibited from keeping cigarettes, lighters or matches in their rooms, usually because that had been caught smoking in unauthorized areas. Johnson was one of the few exceptions because she hadn’t tried to smoke in her room. That bothers Donna Berg, the daughter of Lucille Conaway, a roommate of Johnson and one of the others who died in the fire. ‘I am appalled that a severely mentally ill person with suicidal tendencies would be placed in an adult care facility such as Arlington Manor, where she had access to matches and-or a lighter, a persons who has already set one fire in another facility,’ Berg said.” (Associated Press. “Investigators blame boarding home fire on resident’s suicide.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 12-14-1998, A4.)

 

2003, AP: “Arlington, Wash. (AP) — Five years have passed since that night when flames swept through the Arlington Manor boarding home, killing eight women, most of them elderly. But today, hundreds of Washington’s most vulnerable people are safer because of state efforts to get sprinklers installed in older buildings, a drive sparked by the Arlington deaths. ‘There are over 900 (boarding home) clients who now have instant firefighters on duty seven days a week,’ deputy state fire marshal Larry Glenn said. ‘You bet they are safer. Sprinkler systems do work.’

 

“The April 27, 1998, blaze at Arlington Manor was Snohomish County’s more deadly fire. It attracted national attention. ‘There were no sprinklers in the boarding home, which housed 32 people, many of whom were Alzheimer’s patients or had developmental disabilities and mental disorders.

 

“Gov. Gary Locke responded by pulling together a task force that recommended the state do what it could to make sure fire-suppression sprinklers were installed in more than 100 adult boarding homes located in older buildings around the state. Lawmakers set aside $2.5 million for grants to help owners cover the cost. That program is scheduled to end in June. Virtually all of the $2.5 million has been spent, paying for sprinkler installations in more than 40 boarding homes around the state, including three homes in Snohomish County, said Glenn, who has been involved with the program since its inception. That’s good news for Sheree Berg, a Marysville bookkeeper and tax preparer whose grandmother, Lucille Conaway, 82, died in the Arlington Manor fire. ‘When you have something as devastating as this happen, you need something positive to come out of it,’ she said. ‘At least we have protected that many more people.’

 

“Arlington Manor, a 1908 building that once housed Arlington Hospital, had been operated as a boarding home by Jora Inc. of California since 1979. In addition to not being equipped with sprinklers, investigators determined safety lapses contributed to the destruction at Arlington Manor. Fire alarms weren’t maintained, and a heavy fire door or a stairwell had been blocked open, allowing smoke to spread throughout the building, records show.” (AP. “Tragedy leads to laws to protect boarding homes with sprinklers.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, 5-12-2003, A3.)

 

2014, Everett Herald: “April 27, 1998 — Fire raced through the Arlington Manor boarding home, killing eight women, most of them elderly. The deadliest fire in county history led to sprinkler systems being installed at more than 100 boarding homes around the state.” (Everett Herald, WA. “Deadliest events in Snohomish County history.” 3-25-2014.”

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Care center blaze kills 7 in Arlington. Officials suspect tragedy linked to smoking in bed.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, 4-28-1998, pp. 1 and 2. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-apr-28-1998-p-1/

 

Associated Press. “Fatal blaze may have been arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-5-1998, p. 9. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-may-05-1998-p-9/

 

Associated Press. “Fire not the first tragedy woman, 90, has survived.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p. 6. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-apr-29-1998-p-6/

 

Associated Press. “Investigators blame boarding home fire on resident’s suicide.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 12-14-1998, A4. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-chronicle-dec-14-1998-p-5/

 

Associated Press. “Investigators not sure that care-center fire was arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-7-1998, p. 9. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-may-07-1998-p-9/

 

Associated Press. “Last check found few infractions at facility.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p. 1. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-apr-29-1998-p-1/

 

Associated Press. “Police close case on fatal home fire.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 8-12-1998, A4. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-chronicle-aug-12-1998-p-4/

 

Associated Press. “Police: No surviving suspects in fire.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 8-13-1998, p. 14. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-aug-13-1998-p-16/

 

Associated Press. “Tragedy leads to laws to protect boarding homes with sprinklers.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA, 5-12-2003, A3. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-may-12-2003-p-3/

 

Everett Herald, WA. “Deadliest events in Snohomish County history.” 3-25-2014. Accessed 12-7-2018 at: https://www.heraldnet.com/news/deadliest-events-in-snohomish-county-history/

 

Seattle Times (Gene Balk). “The Puget Sound area’s deadliest fires.” 1-1-2011. Accessed 12-7-2018 at: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/the-puget-sound-areas-deadliest-fires/

 

Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. “State fines Arlington Fire Department.” 1-13-1998, p. 9. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-nov-13-1998-p-9/