MINNEAPOLIS - Lunch hour in downtown Minneapolis is a busy time. With plenty of people making their way through the streets, there are lots of eyes on what's going on.
Despite the crowd, Minneapolis Police say they are searching for a woman who allegedly set a fire inside the downtown Minneapolis Marshalls store.
"An individual walked into the Marshalls, was in the store for about two minutes and investigators clearly say that they believe that person entered the store in order to set a fire," MPD spokesperson Scott Seroka said.
Surveillance video snapshots taken from inside the Marshalls show what police describe as an adult woman walking into the store after getting off the escalator.
A different camera located at another part of the store captures a flame few minutes after. The flame growing into a fire in three minutes.
Police are crediting a quick-thinking manager with a fire extinguisher for the lack of injuries.
"Had that manager not acted as quickly as he or she did, this fire could have spread much faster and done more significant damage," Seroka said.
Now more than two weeks since the fire, the Marshalls store remains closed and police are still searching for the woman.
"We're hoping that by putting these pictures out there that somebody who may know this individual and contact us and give us more information as to helping us solve this crime," Seroka said.
The parent company of Marshalls, TJX Companies sent KARE 11 this statement in response:
"At Marshalls, the safety of our customers and Associates is of the utmost importance. We can confirm that our Marshalls store at 40 South 7th Street in Minneapolis is temporarily closed, following a fire that occurred on July 15. We are assessing the damage and will determine a re-opening date once the process is complete. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this may cause and if they would like assistance finding a nearby store, we encourage them to call our customer service line at 1-888-627-7425 or use the store finder at www.marshallsonline.com/store-finder."
Minneapolis police added that if you have any information, you can call the arson hotline for a potential reward up to $1,000. The arson hotline is 1-800-723-2020.