WATCH: Neighbors 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 Childs family and taking him, his grandson and the boys 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."

The video does not show the alleged matches or establish how they were recovered.

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Child said he and the other witnesses — his grandson and his grandsons friend — were not told about the alleged matches or other items before they were asked to view the detained man.

"We thought he had a backpack," Child told Fox News Digital. "They didnt say anything to us anyway about the fanny pack with matches, cigarettes [and] I guess lighter in it."

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Child told Fox News Digital that he, his grandson and the grandsons friend spotted a man twice near railroad tracks close to the apparent fire origin. The second time, Child said, the mans behavior appeared unusual.

"He was kind of bent over and looked like he was doing something in the bushes," Child said. "He got up, saw us. When he saw us, he turned to face us and kind of was pacing back and forth nervously."

Child said there was no smoke when the group last saw the man. Within about 10 minutes of returning home, however, he said smoke began rising about a half-mile away.

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Bodycam footage from the Airway Heights Police Department shows smoke billowing in the distance as Officer Pace speaks with Childs family about evacuating. The officer later tells them police may have detained "your guy" and that they could be asked to take part in a showup.

A field showup is an in-person identification procedure in which witnesses view a person detained shortly after an incident.

While the footage does not show the identification, Child said Pace escorted him and the two boys to a location about a mile and a half from his home.

"We pulled off to the side of the road, and they got an individual out from the back of the … Spokane County deputy car," Child said. "We looked at him, and all three of us gave them [a] positive, 100% positive ID thats who wed seen in the area just before the fire started."

Child said he and the two teen witnesses positively identified the detained man during the field showup. Authorities later identified the man as Aaron Forrest Farinacci.

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The Aug. 1 field showup did not immediately lead to charges.