Series of Arson Fires Plagues Anchorage
A fire on Jan. 26 destroyed a partly constructed, 141-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel in the city, with damage estimated at $20 million. Two restaurants in the same strip mall were set afire on Feb. 4 and Feb. 7.
A series of arson fires -- not all of them related, according to authorities -- has occurred recently in Anchorage, Alaska. Two of the most recent fires were set in restaurants occupying the same building and named Yakitori Sushi and Noodle World Alaska.
KTUU reported the Noodle World fire was spotted before 6:30 a.m. Feb. 7 and was extinguished by the Anchorage Fire Department by 7 a.m.
A witness in the area told KTUU that they saw someone break a window at Noodle World and start the fire intentionally. Yakitori Sushi's fire on Feb. 4 has been ruled to be arson.
The KTUU news story said a senior fire captain with the department said that the fire spread slightly to another business next door. The captain asked for the public's help to discover who is starting the fires.
The Anchorage Daily News and KTUU reported that video surveillance from the Yakitori Sushi fire showed two individuals running out of the building, one of whom had one of his gloves engulfed in flames.
A fire on Jan. 26 destroyed a partly constructed, 141-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel in the city, and the Anchorage Police Department announced Feb. 6 that it has taken over the arson investigation in that case. The loss from that hotel fire has been estimated at $20 million, according to an ADN news story.