POST FALLS, Idaho — The Post Fall Police Department (PFPD) is looking into whether a suspicious fire early Thursday is tied to a Columbia Bank robbery.
The Post Fall Police Department and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue (KCFR) responded to a fire at an abandoned house on the 1900 block of E Mullan Ave on Thursday around 12:40 a.m.
While firefighters were combating the fire, police received an alarm of a bank being robbed within walking distance of the fire location.
The alarm company at the Columbia Bank located on the 3200 block of E Mullan Ave. reported to police that a man wearing black clothes had broken into the bank through a window.
Police were notified about the robbery late due to a delay by the alarm company. The suspect had already fled when police arrived.
Post Falls police said they still don't have any evidence that ties the fire with the bank robbery, but they said the circumstances lead them to believe that they could be related.
The PFPD and KCFR investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire that was labeled as "suspicious."
Police released photographs of the suspect in the bank and they are asking the public to call detectives if they recognize the suspect .
If you have any information or recognized the suspect in the photos, email your information to detectives@postfallspolice.com or call Detective Jason DeWitt at 208-773-6383.
This is a developing story. We will continue to update this story with additional reporting when more information becomes available.
