Investigators continue to process the scene of last weeks fire

Fire Investigation Update – Major Crimes Unit (MCU) detectives and King County Fire Investigators are continuing to work and process the scene. No cause has yet been determined.

Yesterday, there were concerns regarding a piece of heavy machinery that was brought in labeled “demolition.” The machinery is there to assist investigators with stabilizing the structure so that they can safely enter it to investigate the cause of the fire. Over the past few days, structure has begun to collapse more rapidly and time is of the essence in processing the scene. We must do so safely however. The machinery is there only to assist with the investigation by stabilizing the structure. It is not there to demolish it.

Over the past day or two, we have encountered numerous individuals attempting to gain access to the Maple Crest site for the purpose of retrieving belongings and or looking for items left behind. While we completely understand wanting to do this, please understand that the site is still an active crime scene. We must treat it as such to maintain the integrity of the investigation until a cause has been determined and the scene is completely processed for evidence.

The building is also extremely unstable and unsafe to enter even for first responders with protective gear due to debris hazards, risk of collapse and potential toxic exposure risks. We respectfully request that you do not enter or attempt to enter the site as it is extremely dangerous to do so and will also hamper our detectives efforts and those of the King County Fire Investigators to properly process the scene.