Overnight Fire at Ukrainian Church

Fire investigators and about a dozen members of the Ukrainian Community Church on Hardie Ave NW remained at the scene late Thursday morning after a fire occurred at a building on church property overnight.

The fire damage was limited to the back corner of the building, said church administrator Vitaliy Soltys. However the building sustained heavy water damage, particularly to the ceiling, and no one was allowed back in to the building while investigators continued their work.

The fire doesn't affect church services as the building is used for Sunday school and special events, he said.

Nonetheless, the damage is deeply felt. "It's our church," Soltys said. "It's just like second home."

The church serves about 800 members predominantly from the Ukraine but also Russian and other European immigrants, Senior Pastor Stephan Kasyanyuk said.

The church community has been in this Renton location for about 50 years, and the damaged building about 20 years, Kasyanyuk said. Members have good relations with neighbors and it was a neighbor who called in the fire at about 2 a.m. 

KOMO News reported that fire investigators deemed the fire suspicious. Soltys said the fire started outside in an area that mostly contains metal pipes. He deferred questions about the fire itself to fire investigators.

Renton Deputy Fire Chief Greg Hartman said Thursday afternoon there was also debris in that area behind but close to the building. "We encourage homeowners and businesses alike that anytime you have stuff up against your building, it's an opportunity to create a problem. ...The concern is that normally a fire doesn't start in a pile like that."

Representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on hand to assist in the investigation primarily because the incident occurred at a church, Hartman said, and their response is standard because of the location. 

Hartman said because there have been four to five suspicious fires in the Renton area in the last few weeks, investigators are examining this fire with extra caution. None of those fires appear to be related other than they occurred in public access areas, he said, "but we want to make sure there is no connection to that."