Crescent fire investigators seek ID of man captured on surveillance video

Investigators on Monday released video of a man in the area of Crescent Work & Outdoor on the day it was destroyed by fire.

They are trying to identify the man, who walks up and down an alley in the area of Eighth and I streets, where the Sept. 14 fire started.

The man is not a suspect at this point, and it is too early in the probe to say that the cause was arson, said Dustin Bruley, chief of the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit. It is working the case with the Modesto Police Department.

The video is from two businesses that Bruley declined to name. It shows the man looking through a fence at one point, then removing his shirt and putting it back on.

The fire, reported at about 5 p.m, quickly consumed a building that the business, earlier known as Crescent Supply, had occupied since 1963. The company, founded in 1946, plans to resume in a 321 McHenry Ave. store that it used to operate concurrently with the downtown location. An opening date has not been set. Crescent also has a Stockton location, Weber Point Uniforms.

Bruley said investigators are still waiting for analysis of the evidence by the California Department of Justice.

People with information about the fire can call 209-525-5537 or send an email to info@stanfiu.org.

This story was originally published September 24, 2018 at 5:42 PM.