Aberdeen resident in custody as “person of interest” after H Street fire

Aberdeen, WA – An Aberdeen resident is in custody and is a “person of interest” for arson after the fire on H Street that proved deadly.

The Aberdeen Police Department tells KXRO that during the fire on April 23rd officers learned that transients were using the vacant residence for shelter and that the fire may have been intentionally set. 

Police say that officers followed-up with this additional information and were able to determine that the fire was in fact arson after locating and interviewing people with knowledge of the blaze. 

Due to the extensive damage to the residence, the house was not structurally safe to enter at that point.

As officers continued following up with incoming information regarding the fire, they say that a 34-year-old Aberdeen resident, who is a person of interest for starting the fire, was taken into custody on unrelated charges.

The The Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) was contacted and responded to assist with the investigation.

On April 25th, with the assistance of the ATF and Aberdeen Code Enforcement, Aberdeen detectives served a search warrant on the residence.

After assessing the structure to ensure it was safe to enter, a victim was located and removed from inside the residence. 

The Grays Harbor County Coroner’s Office is working on identifying the victim.

This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Cody Blodgett at 360-538-4414 or email [email protected]