According to Fox 13 Seattle News, on Saturday, police responding to a house fire in a Seattle neighborhood found four bodies. According to reports, their dog perished in the blaze as well.
Chief Adrian Diaz of the Seattle Police Department has confirmed to Fox 13 Seattle News that the bodies of five individuals, including two adults, a baby, a youngster, and a dog, were found inside a home in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle on Saturday morning. One sibling, 11 years old, escaped the flames by crawling out a window and into a neighbor’s home, according to a statement released by the Seattle Police Department. The girl subsequently reported the two-alarm blaze to the police.
Diaz claims that an initial investigation into the occurrence revealed evidence that the home’s front entry had been sealed up from the inside. Egress was difficult, if not impossible.
The chief explained that they knew the front door was blocked with some sort of device, and the police were trying to kick it down and access the front entrance. Officers’ attempts to force open the front door were futile because some form of mechanism barred the door.
Diaz told Fox 13 News that the fire was also going on, so the smoke overpowered the cops, and they ended up retreating.
That’s when the police started working in coordination with the fire department.
The team’s goal was to determine whether or not the fire was intentionally ignited.
The father who perished in the blaze has been named as Salvatore Ragusa.
The medical examiner determined that Ragusa, 48, committed suicide by smoking his remains. He has been labeled as a possible murderer.
According to the King County District Court, Ragusa was arrested on accusations of arson in 2019. Ragusa was on the top of a building with a tight rope around his neck, as stated in the police report.
The flat rented by Ragusa’s ex-wife in 2019 is where a fire broke out, the police said. He was arrested on arson and domestic violence charges, with bail set at $75,000.
Ultimately, he admitted responsibility and was sentenced to prison for reckless burning.
