Fire officials are investigating an arson after a Sunday fire destroyed an abandoned building in the former Westpark housing development.
Multiple 911 callers reported smoke in the area of Kitsap Way and Arsenal way at about 11 a.m. Firefighters from the Jackson Park Fire Department, Bremerton Fire Department, Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue and South Kitsap Fire and Rescue responded to the fire at 98-D Galyan Drive, Bremerton Fire Marshal Mike Six said. The blaze was knocked down in about 10 minutes.
Because there was no power, gas or appliances in the building, investigators determined the fire was an arson.
Witnesses reported a person “acting strangely” at the scene, but no suspect was found, Six said.
Fire investigators could not provide a damage estimate because the building is slated for demolition, but if the unit was occupied, it would have been “gutted,” Six said.
The building is among the Westpark residences to be razed to make way for a new Bay Vista housing development operated by Bremerton Housing Authority.
The empty units in the Westpark development are typically unsecured, according to a Bremerton police report on the incident.