(FOX40.COM) — Yuba City police are asking the public for help identifying a suspected arsonist connected to an August fire downtown.
Officials said the person of interest is believed to have started a fire that caused hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to multiple local businesses. One of those is Creative Interiors, etc., it’s a boutique home decor store on Plumas Street. Now, owner Tiffani Heryford, along with her family, coworkers and landlord, is working to recover.
“He called and said, ‘Hey, I’m out in front of your shop and the windows are black and there’s a fire engine just got here, your store is on fire,'” Heryford said.
She recalled that a nearby business owner had alerted her to the fire while she was on her way home from an A’s game in West Sacramento.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the fire left significant damage to the historic building and the items inside.
“We ended up having five fire engines here, and they were here within seven minutes of the fire starting,” she said. “And all this damage happened that quick.”
The blaze is now under investigation for arson and on Tuesday night, Yuba City police released a photo of a person of interest.
“At this point, we’re just hoping that someone recognizes the photo,” Heryford said. “I think that’s part of the issue… in our society is people aren’t held accountable for their actions.”
However, despite the loss, Heryford and her team refuse to be held back, working through all the frustration and confusion to get back up and running. Heryford tells FOX40 it’s the support from her community that’s helped her through this difficult time.
“The outpouring has been amazing… We want to get back,” she said.
If you recognize the person of interest or have any information that could help arson investigators, contact Yuba City Police at (530) 822-4661.
Noah Anderson
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