DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County arson investigators are on the trail of a man caught on a school’s security camera just before investigators say a fire call came in.
According to DeKalb County Fire and Rescue officials, firefighters arrived at St. Martin's Episcopal School on Ashford Dunwoody Road around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.
There was heavy fire and smoke when they arrived and they say the fire was close to the science lab.
Parents and students who gathered outside the burned-out section of the school told Channel 2's Berndt Petersen that they are pleading for anyone who saw what happened there to speak up.
“The footage did capture quite a bit, but we’re holding some of that close to the vest,” a fire official told Petersen. “We want to allow our investigators to determine how they got in and what means they used to get in.”
Investigators put out a still photo of the person of interest, and say they are examining the entire video.
First images of Arson Suspect are released in St. Martin's Episcopal school fire. Investigators: pay attention to beard & shoes @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/qcj0NuH8xJ
— Liz Artz Hayes (@LizArtzWSB) July 4, 2017
Batallion Chief says there is video of suspect starting fire at St. Martin's Episcopal School in Brookhaven @wsbtv at noon live coverage pic.twitter.com/DJ4PE0lg4T
— Liz Artz Hayes (@LizArtzWSB) July 4, 2017
“You know this could be your school, your community,” a parent told Petersen. “Just because it happened here, he could do it somewhere else. I think it’s really important to let people know.”
Fire officials said witnesses who believe they saw the person-of-interest after the fire have already come forward.
“We need those eyes and ears who saw or heard anything,” the official told Petersen.
The flames scorched nearly 1,000 square feet of classroom and hallway space.
Nobody was hurt in the fire and firefighters managed to rescue several small animals inside the school’s science lab, but did lose a few.
“This is our school and church community and it’s a really unfortunate, unnecessary act,” a neighbor told Petersen.
Investigators did say that the video shows the person-of-interest entering the school and leaving it, so they will be able to determine how long he was in the building.
Cox Media Group
