BATTLE GROUND, Wash. — Fire investigators are asking for the public's help to identify a vehicle and person of interest connected to a fire in Battle Ground.
The fire on July 5 destroyed the Old Cherry Grove Church on Northeast 92nd Avenue and a nearby house on the same property.
The Clark County Fire Marshal's Office shared video surveillance taken on July 5 around 2 a.m. The video shows a car pull up near the former church. Then a person in the backseat gets out and throws something toward the building before the car speeds away.
The church was built back in 1910, but hadn't been used for services for decades.
“This thoughtless act cost our community a piece of our local history which can’t be replaced,” said Assistant Fire Marshal Curtis Eavenson. “The property loss is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
The owner of the property, Steve Slocum, told KGW in July that the building was most recently used as an astronomy shop. Slocum lived in the house with his sister and nephew. They were not hurt in the fire.
Firefighters said "extreme clutter in the church and around the property" made it difficult to stretch hoses around the buildings. Hundreds of mannequins were set up in the church and around the yard.
Anyone with information about the fire, or anyone who recognizes the vehicle or person in the video is asked to call the Clark County Fire Marshal's Office at (564) 397-3320.
A $10,000 reward is offered to anyone with information that leads to a conviction in the case.