Suspected arsonist still on the loose in Richmond

Arsonist still on the loose in Richmond

Six days after a fire threatened multiple families at a property in Richmond, a detective is finally working to identify the individual who started the blaze.

RICHMOND, Calif. - Six days after a fire threatened multiple families at a property in Richmond, a detective is working to identify the individual who started the blaze.

The 18 residents of a fourplex on Columbia Avenue are still coming to terms with the close call.

"My son and I are like… we can't sleep at night. We have nightmares that somebody's going to come inside the building," said Mary, a who lives at the complex with her husband, son and unborn child. She asked to be identified by her first name, out of fear for her safety.

Surveillance video shows a person setting fire to a truck parked in the property's carport, just before 2 a.m. last Friday. The video shows the perpetrator visiting the location, leaving, and returning 25 minutes later to place a bottle of flammable liquid in the truck bed and toss a burning object onto it.

"I'm thinking 25 minutes is a pretty good amount of time to head to one of the gas stations (near) there on Central, or there's one down here at Imperial and Carlson, and purchase an accelerant, a fuel of some sort," said the property's owner, who asked only to be identified as "Joe," out of fear of repercussions.

The resulting fire destroyed the truck and damaged the carport.

"(The residents) are terrified that this person might come back and do more damage," Joe said.

The Richmond Police Department has so far, not provided Joe much help in reassuring his renters that the perpetrator will be caught.

"The detective didn't even get the case until yesterday morning, which was super disappointing," Joe said.

There are multiple cameras and license plate readers in the vicinity of the fourplex, as well as Ring doorbells trained on streets, sidewalks and driveways. Joe said the culprit would have had to walk past them at least four times on his way to and from the property.

"We don't have any enemies that we know of," Mary said. "So that's our concern, like… where did this come from?"

The Richmond Police Department has not, as of this writing, responded to KTVU's request for comment. However, the department is significantly understaffed and underfunded, as determined by the Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury report, and an independent consulting group. The lack of personnel and adequate funding is forcing staff to work excessive overtime, and creating low morale in the department.

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