ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Crooks burglarized an Orange County Dollar Star Plus store just before midnight Monday, and then set furniture on fire before they left, according to detectives.
Fire investigators said they are working with burglary detectives to figure out who broke into the store on Alafaya Trail and left a couch burning inside.
"It appeared that the structure had been broken into, and the cash register had been ransacked. We immediately exited the structure and waited for the sheriff's office," said Chief Rick Reynolds of the Orange County Fire Rescue.
Firefighters said they had little work to do because the sprinkler system put out the fire before they arrived, so the effort then turned to the criminal investigation.
"We need to determine if the burglary was done to sabotage the business and set the fire or if they were in fact burglars who set the fire inside to hide any evidence," said Lt. Paul Hopkins of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said they have not been able to contact the store owner yet, so they don't know exactly what might have been stolen.
Investigators said the still unknown monetary take is likely much less than the cost of the damage.
Investigators said they are working to find surveillance video from around the shopping plaza.
The fire had a ripple effect next door at the local post office, where the sprinklers also went off.
WFTV
