MARYSVILLE – Two cousins who burned a cross on the lawn of an Arlington pastor are now at the center of an investigation into a fire that destroyed a Marysville home.
Investigators suspect that one boy, 16, accidentally started the blaze just after midnight July 16 by flicking a piece of burning cardboard into a small trash can containing gasoline.
Vapors from the gasoline ignited, said Bruce Pulver, Snohomish County deputy fire marshal. Flames quickly spread through a shed and carport, then engulfed the home at 5914 132nd Place NE.
“It wasn’t intentional. It was stupidity on his part,” Pulver said. “(But) you’d think the cross burning would be enough, that he wouldn’t get involved with anything again that has to do with fire.”
The boy is under investigation for reckless burning, a criminal offense that can be charged as either a felony or gross misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances, Pulver said.
The boy’s cousin, also 16, was present when the fire started, Pulver said.
The two pleaded guilty in April to malicious harassment for burning a makeshift cross at the home of Pastor Jason Martin, who is black.
Martin said he was disappointed to learn about the Marysville fire.
“I’d hoped they’d learn a lesson and turn their lives around,” he said. “When are these guys going to learn?”
The boy who allegedly started the fire was staying with the young couple who owned the house, neighbors said.
The teen told investigators he “started goofing around and lit a piece of cardboard or a box on fire,” Pulver said.
A Jeep parked in the home’s carport was leaking gasoline, and a trash can had been placed beneath to collect the gas, Pulver said. The can had been moved out from under the Jeep before it ignited, he said.
Witnesses said the boys attempted to put out the flames.
“I heard giggling, and when I looked out my window I saw the two boys with a hose,” neighbor Vivian Tanis said. “When they put water on it, it exploded into a huge fireball.”
The teens appeared frightened by the flames, she said, and went to move one of their cars out of the way.
Another neighbor went into the burning house to help the woman owner get out, Tanis said. She wasn’t injured.
Her fiance was at work, neighbor Carol Smith said. They are staying with relatives, she added
The owners purchased the home just two months ago, Smith said. Their two cars, a Volkswagen Jetta and the Jeep, were also destroyed.
“They’re great neighbors, and they’ve worked so hard for their house. They don’t deserve this,” said Smith, whose feet were burned when she tried to fight the blaze. Her home, truck and camper also were damaged by the fire.
The cousins are still on probation from the cross-burning incident, but had not been taken into custody as of Friday, said Dave Kurtz, lead deputy prosecutor in Juvenile Court.
Kurtz said he spoke to Pulver on Friday, and he expects the fire marshal to send him some reports.
“In most instances, unless it’s really a very minor offense, then we usually file a new charge if there is a basis for it,” Kurtz said.
Pulver said he plans to refer the case to the prosecutor’s office next week.
Herald reporter Jim Haley contributed to this article.
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.
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