Arson Suspected In Multi-Home Blaze At Luxury Homes On Seattle Street Of Dreams Tour

March 3, 2008 10:19 a.m. EST

Woodinville, WA (AHN) - Earth Liberation Front is being blamed for a blaze in four large homes at a "Street of Dreams" luxury multi-million dollar model home development north of Woodinville, Washington, that authorities say looks like arson. Fire officials say that the fires look suspicious because they were set in multiple places in the homes.

There were no reported injuries in the three-alarm blaze that started around 4 a.m. local time Monday.

Snohomish County District Seven Chief Rick Eastman told King 5 TV that authorities found a sign saying ELF at the fire scene. In the past, ELF has admitted to setting other fires, but it has not admitted to this one.

Three of the homes were still under construction and two of them are "substantially" damaged while one is a total loss.

Fires were set in a total of six of the luxury homes slated to be on this year's annual show case tour Street of Dreams, an annual event in the Seattle area.

According to its website, "The ELF is an underground movement with no leadership, membership or official spokesperson."

The group reportedly practices something called "ecotage," which focuses on using economic sabotage and guerilla warfare to stop what it views as the exploitation and destruction of the natural environment.