WATCH: Neighbor’s double take helped police identify accused wildfire arsonist as flames raced nearby

Paul Child drove past a stranger twice near railroad tracks outside his Washington home, then watched smoke rise about 10 minutes after the man crouched in nearby bushes – setting off a chain of events that helped police identify an accused wildfire arsonist.

Newly obtained bodycam footage shows officers evacuating Child’s family and taking him, his grandson and the boy’s friend to a field showup after detaining a man who matched their description.

While Child and the other witnesses waited near the showup scene, bodycam footage captured an officer saying the detained man had “a whole fanny pack full of matches.”...