PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Police Department has arrested a woman on investigation of first-degree arson for a residential structure fire that claimed the life of a dog and left a family displaced.
Heather Green, 36, of Port Angeles was arrested about 1 p.m. Wednesday near Front Street and Laurel Street in downtown Port Angeles, according to a police report. Green was booked into the Clallam County Jail.
Green is the niece of the residents of the home in the 1000 block of West Eighth Street and was in the house when the fire began, Detective Ron Cameron wrote in the probable cause report.
Green is reported to be schizophrenic and has been detained for mental health evaluations at least two different times in recent years, according to the report.
Just before Easter, the residents of the home recalled Green saying the house was possessed or demonic and that she was going to get rid of the demons. Then, just before Tuesday’s fire, Green was seen coming from the lower level of the house. Soon after, a child who lived in the house said he saw smoke coming from one of the floor vents, Cameron wrote.
The fire likely was started in the laundry room, according to the probable cause statement.
Cameron wrote that he found wooden clothes pins in the washing machine, which likely had been placed there intentionally. Charred remnants of a paper-like product also were found, according to the report.
It also appeared as though someone had attempted to ignite clothes in the downstairs east bedroom, but the fire quickly extinguished itself, Cameron wrote.
A bottle of isopropyl alcohol and a can of denatured alcohol, with the appearance of soot and smoke smudges, were found about 15 feet from the back door. They appeared to have recently been placed there, Cameron wrote.
Fire and law enforcement agencies responded to the structure fire about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday. The family already had safely evacuated, and fire crews were able to extinguish the fire within five minutes.
A search of the residence found one Great Dane deceased within the structure.
The follow-up investigation by Port Angeles Fire Department Chief Derrell Sharp revealed evidence that indicated the fire was something other than accidental, Port Angeles Chief of Police Brian Smith said. Additional fire investigators and two detectives trained in recognizing arson entered the investigation, according to Smith and the probable cause report.
Fire investigators and detectives remained on scene investigating late into Tuesday night, according to a Facebook post by the PAPD. Probable cause was developed, and an arrest warrant for Green was issued to local law enforcement agencies.
The investigation is ongoing, Smith said.
Three PAFD fire trucks and 11 personnel responded to the fire. Clallam County Fire District 2 provided automatic aid in the form of two fire trucks and five personnel. East Jefferson Fire Rescue, Olympic Ambulance, Clallam County Fire District 3, the Port Angeles Police Department and Port Angeles Public Utilities also provided support.
