By Mike Hazlip–
An arson investigator was called to the scene after a suspicious fire occurred at the former site of Mom’s Discount Wholesale Florist on Auburn Boulevard.
In a press release Wednesday, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said fire crews responded to 8252 Auburn Blvd. around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The exterior of the building was damaged and the fire began to spread to some interior areas before crews extinguished the blaze, according to the release. The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.
The location has been the subject of a long standing dispute between landlord Dan DeVries and floral shop owner Christina Azevedo. DeVries claims Azevedo stopped paying rent in October of 2019 and said he witnessed illegal activity occurring at the location.
Prior story: Citrus Heights floral shop forced to close amid landlord-tenant dispute
Code enforcement officials declared the structure uninhabitable and unfit to occupy earlier this month after a court decision in September. Business operations at the site were forced to stop.
Azevedo has not responded to repeated attempts by The Sentinel to contact her.
DeVries told The Sentinel in a phone call Wednesday that security camera video captured an adult male walking up to the building at about 11:14 p.m. Tuesday with a torch. He said the man set the building ablaze before fleeing on foot.
A photo released by Metro Fire shows security footage of “person of interest” kneeling next to the building. No identifying characteristics about the individual can be discerned from the low-quality image.
Authorities ask that anyone who may have seen related activity in the area of Auburn Boulevard, between Walnut Drive and Twin Oaks Boulevard, contact the Metro Fire Arson Tip Line at (916) 859-3775.
