Rescued man suspected of setting fire
Bill Stevenson/Columbia Basin Herald<br> Two Moses Lake firefighters prepare to enter the building at 112.5 East Broadway Avenue to extinguish an apartment fire as one comes out.
MOSES LAKE – The 40-year-old Moses Lake man who was rescued from his burning apartment Monday allegedly started the fire himself, Moses Lake police reported Tuesday.
No charges are planned to be filed against him.
The Moses Lake Fire Department and police responded to an apartment fire on West Broadway Avenue in Moses Lake Monday afternoon. Firefighters forced entry into the barricaded unit.
The man reportedly locked the windows, stacked furniture against them and placed computer equipment and television sets in front of the entry door from the inside, police reported.
“A fire was located in a pile of clothing and a couch, which was quickly extinguished,” Moses Lake Sgt. Mike Williams reported. “The victim was located in the bathtub, with water running over his head.”
He was transported to Samaritan Healthcare and later airlifted to Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane for treatment of smoke inhalation.
“Detectives also located a note in which (the man) talked about how he wanted his possessions divided upon his death,” Williams reported.
The note was dated for Sunday.
“I contacted several family members and neighbors who said (the man) had been acting strangely for about 10 days,” he stated. “(He) constantly told family he just wanted to be alone, and they suspected he was deeply depressed.”