Fernandina Beach’s fire chief said it was crucial to see someone in the video who saw and stopped in the fire at Sliders Seaside Grill.
Chief Jeremy Holmes said the chief investigator “considered that the suspect might have held a fire in other areas near Fernandina Beach. It is crucial that he was caught before someone was seriously injured.”
“In the time of the fire, the business was closed, and that had multiple points of origin,” said Holmes. “Thankfully, the firefighters and the building’s sprinkler system was able to control it – and the situation could be worse.”
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It is not clear how much damage was caused, but the call confirmed that they were still open that afternoon.
Manager Mitchell Aarons told News4Jax that his boss was working there all night. He said the man broke through the back door, reached behind the counter for a bottle of alcohol, and then returned to the kitchen and started to catch a fire.
Police Chief Jeffrey Tambasco’s department is coordinating an investigation with the Florida Fire Marshal’s Office, saying they responded to the 1998 S. Fletcher Ave. Tiki Bar and Restaurant shortly after 1 a.m. on June 20. After the firefighters put out the flames, they determined through safety video that the fire was arson.
A man described as a middle-aged man with tattoos on the sides of his calf, wearing a camera, a T-shirt and a baseball cap probably with a lighter lighter that can set a umbrella on the patio area, glance at it for a few seconds and walk away. The police department said he is believed to live in the area of Fernandina First Avenue.
If anyone knows who he is, please call police at (904) 277-7342 or (866) 845-TIPS.
(This story is updated to include a restaurant’s fresh photo gallery.)
This article originally appeared in the Florida Times – Union: Arsonist seeking in the Fernandinina Beach Fire, Latest at Sliders Restaurant
