Arsonist makes brazen daylight return to Modesto pallet yard hit night before

After Modesto firefighters quickly contained a wooden pallet fire at a Crows Landing Road business early Friday, then spent hours making sure it was out, an arsonist struck the same property that afternoon.

Video shared by local law enforcement shows a person ride a bike through a parking lot, or perhaps an auto sales lot, on the 500 block of Crows Landing. The person, who appears to be male, stops and throws a Molotov cocktail or some other incendiary device over a chain-link fence into the Pedro's Pallets property. He then rides away.

The footage is from about 1 p.m. Friday, Modesto Fire Department Operations Division Chief Michael Lillie said. The arsonist caused no damage in the second attack because an employee at Pedro's Pallets quickly put out the flames.

The first fire, though, "resulted in a significant financial loss," according to a bulletin from the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit.

Modesto Fire Department crews were dispatched to that fire shortly before 12:30 a.m. Friday. They arrived to find heavy fire at the rear of the Pedro's Pallets property and upgraded the call to a working structure fire. Response included five engine crews, a truck crew, two battalion chiefs and other personnel.

Firefighters cut open a steel gate to enter the property. They found one stack of pallets burning, as well as a large pile of scrap wood. A cargo container also burned. Hose lines were laid to protect unburned pallets and put out the flames. Crews were on scene four hours making sure the blaze was fully extinguished.

The description of the person in the video is simply that he or she wore dark clothing and rode a mountain bike.

Anyone with information on the arson case is urged to call the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit at 209-525-5537 or Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips also can be submitted via www.stancrimetips.org or by downloading the P3 app on a mobile device.