Federal agents and the Pierce County Fire Marshal are investigating a suspicious fire that broke out early Tuesday outside a Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall in Puyallup.
The Jason Chudy of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said there are indications the blaze may be linked to a series of previous arsons last year at Kingdom Hall churches in Thurston County.
The Puyallup fire broke out at about 2 a.m. Tuesday just outside the Kingdom Hall in the 11500 block of 62nd Avenue East.
The blaze was mostly extinguished by an exterior sprinkler system before it could reach the interior of the building, said a Central Pierce Fire & Rescue spokesperson. The blaze left scorch marks and damage on an exterior wall.
But the damage would have been much more extensive if not for the sprinkler system, Chudy said.