On Wednesday Oct. 17, someone set fire to the newspapers inside several Mountain Xpress distribution boxes in downtown Asheville. Here's the press release from the Asheville Fire Department about the investigation. Xpress has requested a copy of the image from the surveillance video.

From the AFD

press release

The Asheville Fire Department, along with the Asheville-Buncombe Arson Task Force, is asking citizens to please call them with any information regarding a series of fires on October 17, 2012. There were six separate fires set that morning between 6:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. involving newspaper boxes. These boxes were located on Coxe Ave. near the post office, two boxes in the 81 block of Patton Ave., one near Wells Fargo Bank, one at the intersection of Haywood St. and Battery Park and one off Wall St. near the Laughing Seed Restaurant. Video footage shows a male subject in which we need your help in identifying. Anyone remembering suspicious activity around the mentioned locations the morning of October 17th can call the Asheville-Buncombe Arson Task Force at 828-255-5321 or Crime Stoppers at 828-255-5050 with information.