Police searching for suspect after string of fires in Bullitt County

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Hillview Police are asking for the public's help after multiple suspicious fires last week.

Zoneton firefighters responded to three fires overnight in the Hunters Hollow neighborhood near the Jefferson-Bullitt County line on Sept. 11-12. No one was injured in the fires that were at either vacant buildings or vehicles, and had multiple points of origin, according to Zoneton Fire officials.

The first fire on 427 North Williams Lane caused heavy damage to a Doors Etc., a glass and glazing business there. Another fire broke out at Blue Lick Truck and Van Parts on Blue Lick Road, and a third fire was at an abandoned building in the 300 block of Velva Drive.

One suspect was caught on camera, and police are trying to figure out who he is. Police believe the unidentified man is connected to at least one of three fires that happened last week.

"We do know for certain that the first fire and second fire were certainly started by an individual," Hillview Police Detective Scott Barrow said. "We do have video that shows those two fires were set by an individual, the third fire, it's still under investigation."

Barrow says they're still determining whether three fires last week were connected. The three fires in the Zoneton Fire District all started within a couple hours of each other.

Police have a suspect for the first fire that happened on North Williams Lane. A man was seen in the area and at one point Barrow said it appears that he is holding a gas cans.

Shortly after that fire started, a fire alarm at the nearby Baymont Inn went off. Hotel video shows the fire alarm was pulled by a man wearing a similar outfit and backpack.

"We noticed a white male who was bald wearing a blue or black jacket with a bulky blue backpack," Barrow said. "And then just as he's exiting the hotel, he pulls the fire alarm."

Barrow believes the man at the first fire scene and the man at the hotel are the same.

"We're very confident that the man in the hotel and the gentleman that started the fire is the same person," Barrow said.

Police want the public's help in identifying the man.

"We know what he looks like. We just don't know who he is," Barrow said. "If anybody in the area that night saw anybody walking, if they saw any suspicious vehicles that didn't typically belong in the area, if they could either contact the Zoneton Fire Department or the Hillview Police Department."

Anyone calling with tips can remain anonymous. To share information with Zoneton Fire, call (502) 955-8076. To call Hillview Police Department, call (502) 955-6808.

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