On 1/1/2014, just shortly after midnight, an unknown suspect poured gasoline on a carpeted stairway leading to the second level of a bar and ignited it.
The bar in the 1500 block of Broadway was occupied by over 750 patrons celebrating New Years Eve at the time. The fire was quickly discovered before it could spread beyond the stairway and was extinguished with a fire extinguisher.
Someone pulled the fire alarm and the fire activated the club’s sprinkler system. An orderly evacuation was accomplished and no one was injured.
Arson Bomb Detectives (ABS) responded after being notified by SFD Fire Investigators.
Police are still working to identify a suspect.
UPDATE: If you saw anything suspicious in or around the bar on New Year’s Eve, please call the SPD Arson/Bomb Squad tip line at (206) 684-8980.