From the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire):
CONCORD, CALIF., April 11, 2022 – Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) today announced its fire investigators made an arrest in an intentionally set dumpster fire that burned into an adjacent business in Concord last Friday.
Robert Acuff, 40, a transient in Concord, was arrested and charged with Arson to a Structure.
In the early morning of April 8, Con Fire responded to a structure fire reported burning in a business in the 1500 block of Clayton Road in Concord. Arriving on scene the Con Fire investigator determined the fire originated on the exterior of the structure inside a dumpster. The fire spread to items stored nearby and then the structure.
Surveillance video from a nearby convenience store revealed a male subject with scruffy hair, no shirt and baggy bluejeans igniting cardboard and putting it in the closed dumpster before leaving the area.
Concord Police searched the area and located a subject matching the description of the suspect approximately one block away. Recognizing the man as the person seen on video, Acuff was transported to Concord PD, where he was interviewed by the investigator.
Acuff was subsequently transported to the Martinez Detention Facility for booking on a single arson charge.
Con Fire’s Fire Investigation Unit asks residents to help them fight the crime of arson by calling the Arson Tip Line at 1-866-50-ARSON. They caution residents not to hesitate on information that seems too little or unimportant, adding some of the most valuable tips come from residents who were not aware what they saw was very important to the investigation of an incident.
Residents can leave a recorded message on the tip line about fire-related criminal activity in English or Spanish. Tips can be anonymous, and all tips are treated confidentially. But investigators sometimes need additional information, so contact information is encouraged.
