55-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of setting a fire at a Fresno coffee shop

The fire that destroyed McCoy’s Coffee Shop this month is being investigated as arson.

A spokesman for the Fresno Fire Department said the cause of the fire was incendiary and that a suspect has been identified, but could not release any other information as the investigation is active and ongoing.

On Tuesday, Sandra Seyler was booked into Fresno County jail on suspicion for setting the shop on fire. Her bail is set at $50,000.

The department was called to the restaurant, at Clovis Avenue and Kings Canyon Road, around 12:30 a.m. Oct. 15 and found flames coming from the roof and windows. Firefighters took a defensive position to keep the fire from spreading to other businesses and were unable to save the coffee shop.

The amount of fire seen by that first responding engine, combined with other evidence (including video footage, interviews and the use of thee department’s accelerant detection K-9) led investigators to believe that someone set the fire, said Deputy Fire Marshal Jay Tracy, who manages the fire investigations team.

The fire is by no means unique for the city, Tracy said.

For the year, the department has done more than 500 fire investigations. That’s up from the number of investigations last year, Tracy said. Homelessness, mental illness and drugs play a part in the majority of the cases being investigated.

The department relies on the community’s help in both battling fire and investigating their causes, Tracy said, and he urged people to report suspicious activity by calling 311 (911 if it looks to be an emergency) or using the city’s FresGo app.

“Don’t hesitate to call with information,” Tracy said.

“Don’t feel bad about saying something.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 2:42 PM.