DENVER — The Denver Fire Department (DFD) said in a news release that an arrest was made Tuesday after a five-month investigation of the City Grille fire on June 5.
An investigator from DFD and officers from the Denver Police Department arrested Michael Lidmila, 47, after recognizing him near the arson site, DFD said – a probable cause statement clarifies that Lidila was identified based on security video.
> The video above is how to report to the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
"Our Fire Investigators work just as hard for the very same reason, and after five months of intense investigative effort have been able to make an arrest in this case," said Fire Chief Desmond Fulton.
Lidmila was charged with first-degree arson.
On June 5, video footage showed an unidentified man starting the fire at 1:20 a.m., DFD said, which caused significant damage to the "iconic" City Grille located at 321 E. Colfax Ave.
DFD said it is still examining all information while Ludmila's case moves through the legal system.
Metro Denver Crime Stoppers
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or by visiting metrodenvercrimestoppers.com. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
Metro Denver Crime Stoppers works by assigning a code to people who anonymously submit a tip. Information is shared with law enforcement, and Crime Stoppers are notified at the conclusion of the investigation.
From there, an awards committee reviews the information provided and, if the information leads to an arrest, the tipster will be notified. Rewards can be collected using the code numbers received when the tip was originally submitted.
> More information about Metro Denver Crime Stoppers can be found here.
> Additional Crime Stoppers bulletins can be found here.
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