Fire Destroys House in Burien’s Dottie Harper Park; Arson suspected

A structure fire at Burien’s Dottie Harper Park (421 SW 146^th St.) was discovered around 1 a.m. on Saturday, October 25. King County Fire District 2 arrived on scene at 1:10 a.m. and was able to fully extinguish the fire and secure the area by 10 a.m. with support from Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority and Port of Seattle. The fire was contained to the building before it could spread to adjacent trees, preventing further damage to the park.

The fire started outside the south side of the two-story house before spreading to the structure. The fire burned through the joists of the main floor, which collapsed into the basement. The damage to the structure from fire, heat, and smoke was extensive and resulted in the total loss of the building. Equipment and supplies stored by the City of Burien’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department (PaRCS) within the house were also destroyed in the fire.

On Monday, October 27, a King County Sheriff’s Office fire investigator determined the cause of the fire was “incendiary,” meaning that it was intentionally ignited. At this time, there have been no suspects identified. Anyone with information about the incident is directed to contact the King County Fire District 2 Fire Marshal at fmo@king2fd.org.

Built in 1954, the 864-square-foot building has served many purposes, including as the former home of the Burien Arts Gallery from 1974 to 2009. It had served a much-needed purpose as a storage facility for equipment and supplies used for the City’s recreational programs and events since 2017.

“This facility held significant meaning to our community’s history and has served an essential role for our department in recent years,” said PaRCS Director Casey Stanley. “It housed equipment and supplies vital to the delivery of our City’s major events, large youth and senior programs, and ongoing park maintenance operations.”

For community safety, the City has placed a fence around the property to restrict public access until the structure can be demolished. The City will then work to determine whether a new structure can be built that better meets the needs of the community. Any efforts toward building a new structure would include a collaborative community engagement process.

“Staff are working to recoup what was lost and finding creative ways to replace items that were specifically made for our Arts-A-Glow, Empty Bowls, and Día de los Muertos events,” said Stanley. “While this is a challenging setback for us, we will not let it get in the way of serving our community.”