Update 6/4 3:53 p.m.:
Court documents released Friday show the details leading up to the alleged arson of a former mushroom farm in Olympia by a 12-year-old girl on Thursday.
According to the court documents, as soon as reports of the fire were first received, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office received a Snapchat photo of the 12-year-old standing inside the office of one of the buildings at the mushroom farm, which was on fire.
She had a lighter in her hand and fire at her feet.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said they received calls from more students who received the same Snapchat picture.
According to a witness, the 12-year-old and another girl were seen walking eastbound on Steilacoom Road between fourth and fifth periods. The witness told deputies the girls were talking about how they were “too high” to put out the fire.
Another witness told deputies she went to the abandoned mushroom farm with the two girls, where they found papers in an upstairs office area. The witness said she left before anything was lit on fire.
On May 31, Lacey officers responded to a report of an assault near where the fire would later occur.
Officers were told by the respondent that her niece had been assaulted by the 12-year-old and another girl, who was about 17 years old. The niece had bruises around her eyes and scratches and bruises on her head, chin, and legs. Her nose may have been fractured or broken as well.
The niece said the 12-year-old and her friend believed the niece had stolen her phone.
The niece said had been walking home from school when the 12-year-old and 17-year-old approached her from behind. After they spoke, the niece walked away, but the 17-year-old pulled her hair, causing her to fall to the ground.
While the niece was on the ground, the 12-year-old and 17-year-old punched, kicked, and slapped her multiple times.
The niece said she went into a fetal position and didn’t fight back.
However, shortly after officers spoke with the niece, Thurston County deputies received a video of the assault, which appeared to happen in a home.
The video showed the niece being hit with a broom and she was pushed down a flight of stairs. She’s then dragged back up the stairs and struck several more times.
Update 6/2 8:06 a.m.:
Lacey police have arrested a 12-year-old girl for arson in connection to a massive fire at an abandoned mushroom farm.
Lacey detectives, with the help of a Thurston County Sheriff’s Office school resource officer, took the girl into custody.
She was also booked on other charges, including assault and unlawful imprisonment, in an unrelated case that happened on Wednesday.
Part of the roof collapsed at the facility Thursday night, making it more difficult to fight the flames.
Lacey Fire and Lacey Police will continue their investigation into the incident.
🚨Please see the #MediaRelease in regard to yesterdays fire at the old Ostram’s Mushroom Farm.🚨 pic.twitter.com/AfrlH1pUvD
— Lacey Police (@LaceyPolice) June 1, 2023
Original:
Lacey firefighters are looking at a multi-day fight against a fire that broke out Wednesday at an abandoned mushroom farm.
Crews with the Lacey Fire Department (LFD) said that the fire started around 4 p.m. when they were called to the abandoned building at 8322 Steilacoom Road.
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The fire soon escalated to a two-alarm fire, with multiple agencies responding to the incident.
In photos and videos released by LFD, a plume of thick, black smoke can be seen rising from the site.
Lacey Fire District 3 said the thermal column on the fire could be seen for miles around.
LFD3 units currently working a 2nd alarm fire at the abandoned Ostrom mushroom site at Marvin & Steilacoom. Crews will be working this fire for many hours. Thermal column visible from entire District. Please avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/lHTjtFeyJA
— Lacey Fire (@LaceyFireDist3) June 1, 2023
The old Ostrom Mushroom Farm has been abandoned for multiple years, and crews have responded to the site multiple times for issues of squatting.
No cause for the fire and no injuries have been reported at this time. The Lacey Police Department is working on the investigation alongside LFD.
