Police are looking for an arsonist who witnesses said intentionally set a Wrigleyville three-flat ablaze Tuesday evening. Four occupants, including two children, were expected to be displaced by the fire, but no injuries were reported.
Fire personnel and police responded to the building at 3711 North Sheffield at 8:37 p.m. A passing motorist posted video of flames rising from the building’s roof to Snapchat (NSFW language):
A fire department official said the building’s third floor suffered extensive damage and the second floor was also partially burned.
Two witnesses said a man intentionally set the fire and one of them chased the offender for a couple of blocks before losing track of him. According to the witnesses, the alleged arsonist is a six-foot-tall white or Hispanic man who wore a puffy coat and backpack.
— Andrew Cassioppi (@acassioppi145) March 18, 2020
The witness who chased the suspect said he pursued the offender westbound on Waveland Avenue, then north through an alley before he lost the arsonist at Grace Street.
The burned building stands kitty-corner from the northeast entrance to Wrigley Field.
Police are investigating the fire as arson, according to a police spokesperson. Detectives are exploring the possibility that someone in the building was specifically targeted.
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