Police looking for two suspects in Grapevine arson

Police are looking for two suspects believed to have been involved in a blaze that destroyed more than half the donations at a North Texas emergency relief agency Thursday night, officials said.

Portable buildings and a shipping container filled with donated items were destroyed, a fire marshal said. Officials estimate that the fire caused at least $75,000 in damage to the complex.

A surveillance camera at the GRACE donation warehouse on Scribner Street captured footage of people at the scene, Fire Marshal Randy Frisinger said Friday.

No one had been arrested as of 7 p.m., but an arson arrest warrant was issued for one of two people spotted at the scene, according to a news release from the Grapevine Fire Department.

Officials determined that two people entered the fenced enclosure and that one of them set a fire during the burglary of the property and portable storage buildings, the release said. The arson warrant is for that individual.

A second suspect was involved in the burglary but initially tried to put out the fire, the release said. As the fire grew, both fled the scene, according to the release. Grapevine police continue to investigate the burglary, the release said.

“Hopefully, we’ll have a couple of people in custody soon,” Frisinger said.

GRACE is a nonprofit relief agency that provides food, clothing, medical care, financial assistance, housing and other vital items.

“It could have been a lot worse,” Executive Director Shonda Schaefer said. “No one was injured, and it didn’t get into the main building.”

The warehouse, at 112 N. Scribner St., will remain shut down at least through the weekend while GRACE workers assess the damage from the fire and begin cleanup, GRACE officials said.

“The fire was centered in a large storage unit used to stock clothing for our clients and resale shops,” Schaefer said. “We lost not only all of the clothing in storage but many of our sorting bins, clothing racks, two staging structures and an equipment shed.”

Firefighters responded to the call shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday. GRACE was closed at the time.

“It took a while to get through all the donated items, but we found where it started,” Frisinger said. He did not provide details because the investigation is ongoing.

The main donation warehouse suffered smoke and heat damage, fire officials said.

At the warehouse, items are sorted for residents in need, and the rest are tagged for sale at GRACE stores. Proceeds from the stores make up the budget for GRACE programs and services.

“Nearly one-fourth of our annual budget for client services, food pantry, community clinic, children’s services and other programs come from the sales revenues,” Schaefer said in a statement.

GRACE has called for volunteers to work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this weekend to get the site ready to reopen. Officials advised residents to visit social media sites for information on when GRACE will reopen.

“The damage is overwhelming,” Schaefer said. “I’m afraid the impact of the fire will have far-reaching consequences for GRACE and for those we serve.”

Staff writer Mitch Mitchell contributed to this report.

This story was originally published February 13, 2015 at 12:29 PM with the headline "Police looking for two suspects in Grapevine arson."