“We anticipate there may be further proceedings involving property damage claims and insurance matters,” Faber said in an email. “We have left open the option to re-file criminal charges if additional facts or evidence comes to light.”
The fire occurred the night of Sept. 24, 2019 at Valley Plaza, a strip mall that housed seven businesses at the time. Fire officials said the blaze took two hours to extinguish. The News Tribune talked with a number of business owners who were affected, including Hoy. The man said he and his wife, who owned the business with him, weren’t sure what they were going to do next.in Pierce County Superior Court. Investigators had discovered the day after the incident that the fire started in an electrical room of Hoy’s laundromat.
The fire marshal declared the business a crime scene after allegedly finding evidence that natural gas lines connected to laundry dryers had been tampered with, according to court documents. Investigators also found numerous butane canisters in the electrical room.