Arrest Made In Concord Arson Fire That Spread Into Business: Con Fire

CONCORD, CA — The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District announced an arrest in connection with an intentionally set dumpster fire that burned into an adjacent business Friday in Concord.

Fire investigators arrested Robert Acuff, 40, a transient in Concord, on suspicion of arson to a structure, a spokesperson for Con Fire said.

Firefighters responded early Friday morning to reports of a structure fire burning in a business in the 1500 block of Clayton Road in Concord, Con Fire Spokesperson Steve Hill said.

"Arriving on scene, the Con Fire investigator determined the fire originated on the exterior of the structure inside a dumpster," Hill said. "The fire spread to items stored nearby and then the structure."

Surveillance video from a nearby convenience store revealed a man with scruffy hair, no shirt and baggy blue jeans igniting cardboard and putting it in the closed dumpster before leaving the area.

Concord police searched the area and found a person about a block away who matched the description of the one seen in the surveillance video.

Acuff was taken to the Concord Police Department where he was interviewed by the fire investigator. He was then booked into the Martinez jail on the arson charge.