VERNON, Conn — Vernon police are looking to identify the people and the vehicle that may be involved with a massive fire back in December that destroyed a historic building.
Investigators are still combing for clues after a fire ripped through the building on Brooklyn Street. After nine months, investigators now believe the fire may have been intentionally set.
"It’s very serious, it’s one of the biggest fires the Town of Vernon ever experienced," said Lt. Robert Marra with the Vernon Police Department.
A dark-colored truck let two people out in front of the historic former textile mill, minutes before the property went up in flames, according to Vernon police.
"This fire is suspicious in nature and we’d like to come to a resolution and find if anyone is responsible for having a hand in this fire," said Dan Wasilewski, the fire marshal.
Video obtained by neighbors shows the truck, which investigators say could be a Dodge Ram, circling the building multiple times before those passengers got out right before 2 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2022.
The building was built in 1862. While it was once a textile mill, it was also a baseball factory, and more recently, part of the building was used by a machine company.
"We’ve been actively following up on a bunch of leads since the day of the fire there’s a lot of people that have been interviewed," said Lt. Marra.
Fire crews were on scene for just under 24 hours that day, temperatures were freezing, causing dangerous conditions for crews.
Nearby homes were also damaged.
Luckily no injuries were reported, but investigators said it was the largest fire in decades and could have resulted in an even bigger tragedy.
"Those people were home. They could have been injured or killed so to bring someone to justice if this is found to be arson-related is very important to the public's safety," said Wasilewski.
Police said there is a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or conviction.
If anyone has any information on the truck or the passengers you're asked to call Vernon police.
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