Neah Bay: Three questioned and released after being cleared in connection with gas station blaze

NEAH BAY — Makah tribal officials are still investigating the source of a Saturday fire that destroyed the town’s only gas station.

Authorities have not ruled out arson as the cause of the early morning blaze that leveled the Makah Fuel Co. on Bayview Avenue and triggered the explosion of several 55-gallon drums, Neah Bay Police Chief Karl Gilje said Tuesday.

Makah Fuel Co. serves both motorists and boaters in Neah Bay.

“(With) a major fire of a major structure, we always consider arson and investigate it to determine whether or not we focus on the arson aspect,” he said.

Officers questioned and released two men and a male juvenile who “a couple of citizens felt were acting suspiciously,” Gilje said.

Police have cleared them of any involvement in the fire, Gilje said.

Gilje did not release the identities of the three people questioned.

The rest of this story appears in today’s Peninsula Daily News. Click on “Subscribe” to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.

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