Nutcracker Towing fire a case of arson – $1,000 reward offered for information leading to arrest

Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Valley Central: The Nutcracker Towing fire is being described as arson even if not yet officially labeled as such, and the town of Pima has put out a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the person(s) responsible.

By Brooke Curley

brooke@gilavalleycentral.net

Pima – In exchange for information that leads to the arrest of those at fault for the Nutcracker Towing fire, the town of Pima will pay $1,000.

After Tuesday’s Pima Town Council meeting, Gila Valley Central visited with the Pima Police Chief Diane Cauthen, who said although the case was not officially labeled as an arson yet, the Pima Police are looking for leads as to who may have started the Nutcracker Towing building aflame early Thanksgiving morning.

Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Valley Central: A fire devastated Nutcracker Towing early Thanksgiving morning.

“The town of Pima is going to put up $1,000 for any kind of tip leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the fire,” Cauthen said.

Cauthen said a specially-trained dog was brought in to examine the remains of the building after the fire and indicated the scene was positive for a fire accelerant. The fire is not officially labeled as an arson yet because time-consuming arson paperwork must be processed first, according to Cauthen.

“The fire marshal gave me a point of origin, and his dog is trained in 13 different accelerants,” Cauthen said. “But we have to have the DPS say it’s official. We collected evidence and sent it down to the DPS.”

Contributed Photo/Courtesy Laura Bernal: The various vehicles exploded as the gas tanks caught fire.

In the meantime, the town of Pima is treating it as arson and is willing to pay for leads, including examining burn patterns with photos from the previous Safford Molotov Cocktail fire in August.

On Thanksgiving day, authorities were dispatched to Nutcracker Towing at 86 S. Main St. at about 2:30 a.m. and came upon the business’ shop and tow yard fully engulfed in flames. The shop was a total loss and several vehicles in the lot also suffered severe fire damage. The fire also damaged a utility pole and knocked out landline telephone service to a swath of Pima. Luckily for the business, no tow trucks or its welding truck was at the scene.

For information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the Nutcracker Towing fire, the town of Pima will pay $1,000. Anyone with information they would like to contribute that could possibly lead to an arrest should call the crime hotline at 844-549-3730.

Jon Johnson contributed to this article.

 

 

 

 

 

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