SAN JUAN DISTRICT, Washington – SAN JUAN DISTRICT, WASHINGTON – The man suspected of causing a fire that caused millions of dollars in damage to the business at Friday Harbor was arrested by Island County lawmakers, the Huan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Law enforcement officials said Dwight C. Henlein was arrested around 4:30 p.m. and taken to Island County Jail.
The arrest comes after the San Juan County Sheriff received an order for Henlein in connection with arson on April 7 in downtown Friday Harbor.
Numerous agencies were called in to fight the four-alarm fire, which lasted for hours.
Historic landmarks dating back to the late 1800s were destroyed in the fire, according to Kimberly Kimple of San Juan County Fire Department.
On Friday, detectives from the sheriff’s office received information that Henlein was at a residence in Langley, but could not contact him.
Deputies handed out a search warrant and removed a lot of evidence of arson from the apartment.
Johannes Krieger, founder and owner of Crystal Seas Kayaking in Friday Harbor, was preparing to go kiting on Saturday.
Before he could succeed, he learned that a man accused of setting fire to his business had been arrested.
“Going out into the water is a therapeutic activity for me that gives me a chance to restart,” Krieger said. “And as he knew that before I did it much better. ”
San Juan Island Chief of Staff Norwin Collins and the rescue service said a number of agencies had helped with the investigation, including the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, the City Fire Marshal, the County Fire Marshal, the ATF and the NRT.
“Congratulations on the arson dog that appeared as part of the National Response Team (NRT),” Collins said Saturday. “The dog was hit several times and samples were taken. They were sent to a laboratory in Washington, D.C., so we still don’t know exactly what it is. But it’s a flammable liquid. “
Collins said the videos also show the fire started on the deck behind the Crystal Seas kayak.
“There seemed to be no indication that she was a direct target of us or any of our employees,” Krieger said. “But it was still one of those things you just wonder about. And you wonder if something else will happen. There is definitely concern about that. “
Krieger opened Crystal Seas Kayaking in 1993. Krieger said his entire building needs to be remodeled, including a complete interior remodel.
“The building itself will probably be built quite quickly, but it will take months and years to get into the rhythm and flow we have been in this business for almost three decades.”
Crystal Seas Kayaking, which also offers cycling and whale watching tours, had to rebuild part of its business in 2013. A fire destroyed the Downriggers restaurant and several other coastal businesses in Friday Harbor.
“Ironically, our whale watching component was in the Downriggers building, which burned down a few years ago. So we went through that and we had to learn the lessons of recovery. In this case, our section had not actually burned down, but there was damage from smoke and water, after which the entire building was eventually demolished. So that prepared us a little, I guess. But that doesn’t make it any easier, “he said. “I feel really confident that we will be stronger in the long run. It will be a difficult and challenging year and it will be a difficult and challenging year for all other businesses, staff and everyone else involved. It was really amazing to see the local community, the firefighters, the police, the federal agents – all of them, the city really came together and understood this and understood this as quickly as they did. It was quite inspiring. “
Collins noted the historical significance of the arson.
“You will never replace history. It will never be exactly the same. But you will do the best you can so that it fits into the community and a lot of that style. “What you can hope for is that people have good memories,” Collins said. “That’s why this whole thing, when it turned out to be arson, made it much sadder and more impactful for the community (which has memories). You listen to people talk about the memories they had of growing up or visiting the islands, so you will never replace that… But the community will do the best it can because we are sustainable. ”
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