Caffe Fiore Fire Suspected Arson; 15 People Lose Jobs

SEATTLE, WA - The Sunset Hill location of the popular local coffee shop Caffe Fiore was badly damaged in a fire overnight, and the cafe said that the fire was the work of arsonists. The fire broke out Friday night around 11:30 p.m. at the cafe along Northwest 85th Street, just west of Golden Gardens.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, the store said that no one was injured in the fire, and suggested that the location might reopen at some point.

"Many of our neighbors were probably woken up by fire engines last night. Caffe Fiore on Sunset Hill was set on fire last night by arsonists. We're thankful that Marcos was at his restaurant at the time and was able to call the fire department. Things could've been a lot worse. Needless to say, we've got a lot of work ahead. Thank you to the community who has stopped by this morning and been so supportive. We have the best neighbors," the Facebook post read.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is being handled by the Seattle fire department's arson and bomb squad, according to KOMO News. Fiore owner Deming Maclise told KOMO that the perpetrator stacked a number of Adirondack chairs outside and lit them on fire. He also told the station that 15 people between the coffee shop and neighboring Cocina Esperanza, which was damaged.

Caffe Fiore was founded in 2002 and has three other locations in Seattle in West Seattle, downtown Ballard, and Queen Anne.

Image via Facebook/Caffe Fiore