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“We’re asking for the public’s assistance in identifying this person of interest, or if this person could come forward to help us out with this investigation they might be a witness to the fire starting.”

The footage was acquired from a surveillance camera belonging to a local business, and is available on the Toronto Police Service’s website. The footage shows a person approaching the alley behind 355 Yonge St. The figure was later seen walking northeast away from the scene.

The person is wearing light-coloured jeans, a dark jacket with a hood and a white or cream backpack, said Detective Love. The person was still carrying the backpack after leaving the area.

Police and fire officials have been sifting through debris for evidence since the building’s collapse earlier this week and resumed their investigation shortly after Friday’s news conference.

Bill Hiscott, a supervisor with the Office of the Fire Marshal, hopes to conclude the investigation by early next week.

“We’re looking at all the debris that’s there, we will be taking samples to go to the lab, hopefully the samples will identify what the cause of the fire is,” he said. “We’re hoping that by Sunday or Monday we’ve completed the excavation.”

Officials cannot confirm if anyone was injured or killed in the fire, but local business owners would argue that there are at least a few financial victims.

“Business is really bad,” said A.C. Patel, owner of Toronto Sports Shop, located just north of the intersection of Yonge and Gould Streets. “Monday I did about just under $100 [in sales]. The average day, since it’s just after Christmas, is about $1,000.”