Man accused of starting motorcycle fire in Centralia with a 'flint bomb' charged with arson
Oct. 5—A Chehalis man accused of lighting two motorcycles and a passenger car on fire in Centralia on Wednesday has been charged with second-degree arson in Lewis County Superior Court.
The man, identified as Mark Allen Silva, 43, allegedly took apart a lighter, wrapped the spring piece around the flint and heated it up "red hot" before throwing it, "making it spark," according to court documents.
The flint reportedly landed on top of two motorcycles parked outside a house in the 900 block of East Locust Street.
Silva allegedly went inside the house after throwing the flint, "heard someone say 'Oh, sh-it!'" then "ran upstairs and observed the motorcycles on fire," according to court documents.
The fire reportedly caused significant damage to both motorcycles and to a Ford F-150 pickup truck that was parked next to the motorcycles.
Fire crews with the Riverside Fire Authority and officers with the Centralia Police Department responded to the fire shortly after 3 p.m. on Wednesday. A responding Centralia police sergeant "did not observe any obvious cause as to why the motorcycles would have caught fire" and contacted Silva at the scene, who allegedly said "he may have 'accidentally' set the motorcycles on fire but was not positive," according to court documents. Silva then allegedly admitted to throwing the flint and showed the sergeant the lighter he had taken apart.
When asked why he threw the flint onto the bikes, Silva allegedly "stated he hadn't done it in a long time and thought he would try it," according to court documents.
The sergeant was reportedly "able to quickly find a YouTube video titled 'How to make a Flint Bomb,' which appeared to be exactly the process Silva had described," according to court documents.
Because the sergeant "believed Silva had knowingly caused the flint to be heated to a state of red hot and (threw) it on automobiles that contain flammable liquids," and because that alleged action damaged property, Centralia police arrested Silva for second-degree arson.
Silva was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 4, according to jail records. He was charged in Lewis County Superior Court on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Judge Joely Yeagher set Silva's bail at $50,000 on Thursday.
"He has an extraordinary amount of warrants. That gives the court a lot of concern about his risk of flight and ability to follow court orders," Yeagher said of her bail decision, adding that the allegations also gave her community safety concerns.
The state prosecution had asked Yeagher to set bail at $100,000, but Yeagher set a lower amount due to Silva's financial situation.
The defense had asked for bail to be set no higher than $25,000, and Silva verbally expressed his financial inability to post the $50,000 on Thursday.
"According to law you have to give me bail that I can pay and I can't post anything," Silva said Thursday.
Yeagher acknowledged Silva's comments but did not amend her bail decision.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 12.
