Street of Dreams arson fires
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On March 3, 2008, four multi-million-dollar homes were set on fire, allegedly by the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), in Echo Lake, Washington, on Echo Lake Road, off State Highway 522.[1]
The houses were built in the summer of 2007 as part of "Seattle Street of Dreams" project, an annual luxury home showcase offered across the United States and parts of Canada. The 2007 theme was "green and sustainable building"; one property had won an award from a local group known as BuiltGreen. [2]
Residents and drivers within the area immediately called the nearby fire departments, who were able to save one of the four houses set on fire, which totaled $7 million dollars worth of damage.[3] No one was hurt in the fire, as the 4,000-square-foot homes were unoccupied at the time.
The FBI, police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are currently investigating the incident. On the lack of deaths, the FBI's deputy assistant director for counterterrorism said, "I think we're lucky. Once you set one of these fires they can go way out of control."[4]
[edit] Earth Liberation Front
Slogans spray-painted on one of the burned houses' fences attributed the arson to the Earth Liberation Front, with words such as "Built Green? Nope black! McMansions in RCDs r not green. ELF."
The ELF is a collective name for anonymous and autonomous individuals or groups that, use "economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to stop the exploitation and destruction of the natural environment",[5] commonly known as ecotage or monkeywrenching. It is an international movement with actions reported in over a dozen countries.[6] Its guidelines require that individuals or groups acting on its behalf "take all necessary precautions against harming any animal — human and nonhuman,"[7] however, the organization was classified by the FBI in March 2001 as the top domestic terror threat in the United States,[8][9] and are categorised as "eco-terrorists".[10]
[edit] References
- ^ Suspicious fires destroy 3 Street of Dreams homes, damage 1, in Snohomish County, Seattle Times, March 3, 2008
- ^ Quinn’s Crossing Fire Update 3-3-08 3:00 PM. Seattle Street of Dreams (March 3, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
- ^ Luxury Homes Burn in Apparent Eco-Attack, Associated Press, March 3rd 2008.
- ^ ATF address domestic terrorism, FBI, May 19, 2005.
- ^ SUV Armageddon Approaching?, Car Keys, 29th August 2003.
- ^ Best, Steven and Best & Nocella. Igniting a Revolution: Voices in Defense of the Earth, Lantern Books, 2006, p. 52 & 53.
- ^ What is the Earth Liberation Front?, Satya, March 2004.
- ^ Earth Liberation Front is now FBI's No. 1: Mainstream media finally pick up on the concern of ecoterrorism, Property Rights Foundation of America, Inc, March 2001.
- ^ Congressional Testimony: "The Threat of Eco-Terrorism", FBI, February 12th 2002.
- ^ Eco-vigilantes: All in 'The Family?, Christian Science Monitor, January 20th 2006.
