SAGINAW, Texas — The search continues for an arsonist who doused a woman with gasoline and burned down a Saginaw business Tuesday night.
The woman, whose idenitity has not been released by authorities, was able to escape the blaze at the 6,000-square-foot Sisters Antique Mall and Tea Room in Saginaw, open for less than one year. The buesiness is considered a total loss after the attack.
Saginaw fire investigators and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were at the scene, looking for clues.
By the time firefighters arrived at the building at 128 North Saginaw Boulevard, they say flames had already engulfed the interior.
Photos taken by witnesses show smoke billowing into the air, catching Ron Alford, who operates a neighboring furniture store, by surprise.
"All of a sudden I heard a pop from inside my store, and I smelled burning fire, just a burning smell," he said.
That smell was coming from the blaze set by a man who, police say, walked into the Sisters Antique Mall and doused the business with gasoline before spraying fuel on a woman and setting the place on fire.
"Every day you hear about people being crazy doing stuff like that," Alford said. "I don't know how you wrap your hands around it."
The suspect ran off and has not been seen since.
The woman who was the focus of the attack was taken to a hospital as a precaution for minor burns.
So far, police have not released a motive for what happened, but it has left people in this small town stunned.
"I would say that it definitely puts us all on edge because the majority of business owners on this street know each other personally," said one merchant. "We've all built each other up, so to know that this is her first year and this happened to her? It's a little scary."
E-mail mmoore@wfaa.com
