Peoria PD is looking for an arsonist with a grudge against a beauty school.
A fire broke out Wednesday night around 11 in the 11000 block of North 99th Avenue and destroyed the school and several other buildings beside it in the strip mall.
PD spokeswoman Amanda Jacinto says investigators know the fire was started by an arsonist because they found an accelerant at the scene, but she refused to say what type because of the ongoing investigation. Investigators also brought along a K-9 trained to sniff out the scent of accelerants. However, several red gas cans left in front of the building are pointing toward, uh, gasoline.
Peoria PD says that fire crews responded to the fire within three minutes, but the business was already entirely engulfed in flames. Forty-eight crews from Peoria and surrounding areas responded and it took more than 45 minutes to put it out.
There's no estimate on the damage or motive for why someone would set it ablaze (maybe check who recently flunked a hair styling test?), but the building and everything in it is a total loss.
