Two Walmart stores in Atlanta and a Target in Buckhead just yesterday caught fire.
ATLANTA — Authorities are trying to identify two people they believe may be responsible for recent fires at Walmart and Target stores in Atlanta.
A photo shared by the Atlanta Fire Department shows a heavily-set black man in an orange ski cap and reflective construction vest at a Walmart on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Vine City.
The Target photo shows a man pushing a shopping cart containing what appears to be a suitcase. The man is wearing a baseball cap, something like a scarf, and a medical mask over his face.
In a news release, the fire department said, “Investigators believe the suspect deliberately set fire to distraction and the criminal shoplifted merchandise as patrons rushed to exit the burning store. I believe we can get away with it,” he said.
They went on to say the fire “caused millions of dollars in damage.”
Related: Future of Atlanta Walmart 2 stores | Vine City reopens, Howell Mill Road location permanently closed
There have been a number of fires recently at large retail stores in and around Atlanta.
Two Walmarts have closed after a fire broke out on the city’s West Side.
Walmart has said both fires were caused by arson, but investigators can only establish their identities.
A Walmart in Vine City, which was supposed to eventually reopen, was shut down after a fire in December. A few days later, a fire broke out on Howell Mill Road.
A Buckhead Target store on Piedmont Road was evacuated Monday night after a fire broke out inside the store.
“Although the motive for the fire appears to be similar, investigators have not linked the fire,” the agency said.
A Walmart in Peachtree City was closed for more than four months last year after a 14-year-old boy set it on fire.
The Georgia Department of Arson Control offers a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a wanted person. We recommend calling the arson hotline at 1-800-282-5804.
