The trial of a Fall City man accused of burning the Snoqualmie Inn takes place Monday, March 3, in King County Superior Court.

James O. Burrows, 60, faces charges of first-degree arson and making a fraudulent insurance claim in connection with a May 19, 2005, fire at the inn, located at 384th Avenue Southeast and Kimball Creek Drive.

Preparation for the trial took well over a year, with the King County Prosecuting Attorney filing charges last March, following a year-and-a-half-long investigation by the King County Fire Marshal. Burrows pleaded innocent to the charges last April, and remains free on his own recognizance.

Prosecutors claim Burrows, then marketing director for the inn, intentionally set the fire by placing “bug bombs” in the deep fryer along the inn kitchen south wall. Heat from the fryers caused the bombs to explode, spraying hot oil around the room, igniting a fire that spread in the building.

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