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Friday afternoon, Elizabeth Gauthier, who owns the property at 2720 Summer St., and Ivy Bacher and Ye Sun Ying, owners of Pearl East restaurant, were sitting at an outdoor table across the street from the now-empty restaurant discussing their future.
"I think that's good news," Gauthier said. "We applaud any effort to solve this crime."
On May 27, Pearl East sustained major damage and remains closed following a fire at the building.
Nine days earlier Sushi X II was damaged by a fire. However, that was contained and the restaurant was opened the next day.
Bacher who has worked for the last 15 years at the restaurant including the last four as owner along with Ying said she is mystified why their restaurant was hit.
"I don't know why," she said. "This is our life."
"This is a real tragedy for them," Gauthier added about the restaurant owners.
Gauthier said there isn't any timeline yet on when the building will be rebuilt. She said the roof has to be torn down and said that and other demolition before the building is rebuilt will cost a lot.
The Stamford Fire Marshal announced Friday that the two fires were being ruled as arsons and that a $3,500 reward had been set up for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the person or persons responsible for the fires.
The fires are being investigated by the Stamford Fire Marshal’s Office in partnership with the Stamford Police Department.
The Organization of Chinese Americans of Fairfield County Chapter has contributed $1,000 toward the reward.
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