Burglar dressed as firefighter to rob home amid wildfire near Spokane: sheriff

It probably seemed like a brilliant idea – until they got caught: Drive across Washington state to the Gray Fire in the Spokane area, dress as a firefighter, and break into a home that had been evacuated.

A Tacoma man and woman in their late 30s were arrested by the Spokane Sheriff’s Office on Monday for doing just that. They allegedly drove five hours to case evacuated homes amid raging wildfires, and stole $300 in drills from one home.

Someone nearby sniffed out their ruse.

At 8:15 a.m. on Monday, a relative of the homeowner saw a blue Audi pull into the driveway. The man driving the car was alone and wore a “high visibility long-sleeve shirt similar to a firefighter,” according to the sheriff’s office.

The homeowner's relative called out to the driver, wondering why he was there. The man responded that he had a flat tire. This made sense to the relative, who noticed one of the Audi's tires was low in air.

But the relative became suspicious when a woman emerged from behind the house and got into the Audi.

The relative checked the house and found that the back door was unlocked, and that it appeared cabinets had been rifled through. The relative called the cops.

At 4:10 p.m. that afternoon, a sheriff’s deputy saw a blue Audi in the area. When the deputy stopped the car, he noticed yellow clothing inside. The couple in the car told him they had just changed a tire and were en route home to Tacoma.

In fact, they were en route to the Spokane County jail, booked for residential burglary. They have since been charged.