EDGEWOOD, Md. (WUSA) -- Fire marshals want your help identifying a person of interest in two fires at the Denny's Restaurant in Harford County on July 4 and August 3. They have released photos from the video surveillance system at the restaurant in hopes that someone will have information that will help with the investigation.
In the July 4th incident, the fire was set in a trash can in the men's bathroom at the restaurant in the 1800 block of Edgewood Road in Edgewood. That fire was believed to be an accident until a fire on August 3rd. That fire also started in the men's restroom but instead of being contained to the trash can like the previous incident, the fire spread through the roof. Approximately $500,000 in damages were reported from the fire.
Staff and customers were inside the restaurant at the time of both incidents, which occurred in the morning.
A look at video surveillance showed the same white male entering and leaving the area of the men's restroom at the time of each fire, say authorities. The man is approximately 6 feet tall with light or grayish hair and he was wearing a dark baseball cap. In the July incident he wore a yellow shirt and khaki style shorts while in August he wore an orange shirt, dark shorts and sunglasses. He may have left the parking lot in a dark sedan.
Mutual Benefit Insurance Company is providing a reward of up to $10,000 for the information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the fires.
If you have any information, please call the Northeast Regional Office of the State Fire Marshal at 410-836-4844 or the Arson Hotline at 1-800-492-7529.