Police are investigating a string of at least three arson fires set at military housing units near Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
Authorities are now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the cases.
The hot-line number is 360-257-3359. You can at text a tip to: 27463. Anonymous tips can also be made to the NCIS website at NCIS.navy.mil.
Ryan and Shannon Sharland were one of the families whose homes have been burned. The couple had so much to celebrate to celebrate over the holidays.
Married just three months, they were with family in Arizona, basking in the afterglow of their first Christmas together as a newlyweds.
That glow quickly became a charred, blackened disaster when they got a phone call late in the evening on Dec. 26.
"They called and told us our house was on fire," said Ryan. "It turned into the longest day of my life."
Someone had set fire to their town home just outside the gates of NAS Whidbey Island. The couple, still in their teens, lost everything they had worked for in their young lives, including their two kittens.
"Everything that we started is now gone," said Ryan, a 19-year-old Navy Airman. "I can't believe this happened to us."
Five families were displaced in the fire. It was the latest in a string of arsons set at military housing units near the Navy base. Each one has been more destructive than the last.
It's unclear whether Navy families are being specifically targeted in the mainly military town of Oak Harbor. Police are looking into several leads and the base is increasing security, but the damage, both material and emotional is done.
"I just don't feel safe anymore," said 18-year-old Shannon, holding her husband's hand and wiping away tears. "I don't like looking at this. I don't like thinking about this."
The couple has been relocated to new housing at the base. They're still awaiting word on what insurance will pay for. In the meantime, a Go Fund Me account has been established to help them with immediate needs.
As for Ryan, Shannon, and their young marriage, the arson is testing the limits of "for better or for worse," but they believe they will come through the fire better and stronger for it.
"It'll be okay," said Ryan. "We have each other."
