2008 Seattle Street of Dreams arson explained

On March 3, 2008, four multimillion-dollar homes were set on fire in Echo Lake, Washington, on Echo Lake Road, off State Highway 522.[1] Slogans spray-painted on one of the burned houses' fences attributed the arson to the Earth Liberation Front, with words such as "Built Green? Nope black! McMansions in RCDs r not green. ELF," ELF being the collective name for anonymous and autonomous individuals or groups who use "economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to stop the exploitation and destruction of the natural environment".[2]

The houses were built in the summer of 2007 as part of "Seattle Street of Dreams" project, an annual luxury home showcase offered across the United States and parts of Canada. The year's theme was "green and sustainable building"; one property had won an award from a local group known as BuiltGreen.[3]

Immediately following the attack, residents and drivers within the area called nearby fire departments, who were able to save one of the four ignited houses. The fires caused $7 million worth of damage.[4] No injuries were reported, as the homes were unoccupied at the time. The buildings were eventually rebuilt following the event.

The FBI, police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were unable to determine any suspects, and thus no arrests were made.[5] Skepticism has arisen over whether the arson was truly an ELF action or an act of insurance fraud.[6] [7] The developer of one of the destroyed houses has since pleaded guilty to multiple counts of first-degree theft associated with his construction projects.[8]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2008-03-06. Snohomish County News Suspicious fires destroy 3 Street of Dreams homes, damage 1, in Snohomish County Seattle Times Newspaper. 2021-12-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20080306014724/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004256586_webdreamsfire03m.html . 2008-03-06 .
  2. Web site: SUV Armageddon Approaching? . https://web.archive.org/web/20040312221131/http://www.carkeys.co.uk/features/everything_else/914.asp . March 12, 2004 . dead . Car Keys . August 29, 2003.
  3. Web site: Quinn's Crossing Fire Update 3-3-08 3:00 PM. March 3, 2008. Seattle Street of Dreams. 2008-03-04.
  4. Web site: Luxury Homes Burn in Apparent Eco-Attack . https://web.archive.org/web/20080306184703/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQlKz_UjBgvhm8rfGiTaQYS82a5gD8V66KUG0 . March 6, 2008 . dead . AP . March 3, 2008.
  5. Web site: Clark . Noelene . 2008-10-31 . Eight months after arson, Street of Dreams is a ghost town . 2024-09-14 . The Seattle Times . en-US.
  6. http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/street-of-dreams-elf-arson-or-insurance-fraud/2736/ Street of Dreams: ELF Arson, or Insurance Scheme?
  7. Web site: 2008-03-18. Local News Arson group retreats even more into shadows Seattle Times Newspaper. 2021-12-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20080318231638/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004289322_elf18m.html . 2008-03-18 .
  8. Web site: 2010-08-15. Local News 'Street of Dreams' homebuilder pleads guilty to stealing sales tax Seattle Times Newspaper. 2021-12-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20100815125624/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012598460_homebuilder12m.html . 2010-08-15 .

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