YellowBrix story US-HOMEFIRES from United Press International

Luxury model homes set ablaze

SEATTLE, March 3 (UPI) -- Blazes firefighters label as arson
Monday destroyed three of five model homes in a luxury development
near Seattle, officials said.

A sign fire officials found at the scene north of
Woodinville, Wash., was reportedly left by the Earth Liberation
Front, a radical environmental group, Seattle television station
KING reported.

The sign read: "Built Green? Nope Black! McMansions + RCD's
(rural cluster developments) r not green. ELF"

No injuries were reported; the homes were empty, the TV
station reported. Besides the three gutted homes, a fourth structure
sustained heat damage and the fifth was untouched.

The five homes were on the "Street of Dreams," where
contractors build luxury, multimillion-dollar homes that include
many amenities. The money people spend to tour the homes is donated
to charity.

Fire officials said they were letting the fires burn because
they feared the homes were booby-trapped. Officials said they heard
explosions in the homes.

In 2001, the FBI classified ELF as the top domestic terror
threat in the United States and categorized its followers as
"eco-terrorists," previously published reports said. The group has
taken responsibility in the past for similar events.

---