Three Oak Harbor teens charged in Volunteer Park arson case

Three Oak Harbor students now face felony consequences for what began as a park fire at the skate area and ended as an arson case in Island County Superior Court. Two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old were charged May 7 with arson in the second degree after a June 28, 2025 blaze destroyed a portable toilet at Volunteer Park.

The fire was reported about 6 p.m. near Southeast Jerome Street, after Oak Harbor police were dispatched at 5:45 p.m. Investigators later said the city fire marshal determined the fire had been intentionally set with an incendiary device, and Fire Chief Travis Anderson said there was nothing inside the portable toilet that could have caused ignition.

A surveillance camera above the restroom area reportedly captured three juveniles entering the portable toilet before smoke began pouring out. In the account, one of them appears to open the door and film inside with a cell phone before the trio leaves and the fire develops. An officer said the Avignon camera system could not be accessed in time to preserve the clip, and another officer said technical problems limited access to the video; screenshots were later used to help identify the suspects.

The city of Oak Harbor reacted publicly by saying it was “heartbroken” and calling it “one of the worst cases of arson we’ve seen.” That reaction reflected more than burned plastic and smoke. Volunteer Park is a 6-acre community park with ball fields and a skateboard park, and the destroyed porta-potty was privately owned by Diamond Site Services, so the fire affected both a city recreation space and a private sanitation provider.

The filing means the case now moves through the juvenile justice system, where the outcome could shape the lives of the three teens long after the damage at the park is repaired. It also lands in a county that has seen this kind of fire before. In 2023, Central Whidbey saw seven restroom and porta-potty arsons that led to charges against Ryan T. Parish, who later received a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of second-degree arson.

For Oak Harbor, the Volunteer Park case is a reminder that a small-looking act of vandalism can quickly turn into a felony record, a costly cleanup, and another test of how seriously Island County treats damage to public property.