A fire at Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Vermont office is being investigated as arson, the Burlington Fire Department said Friday.
Firefighters were dispatched Friday morning to the building that houses the independent senator’s only congressional office in the state. They said, “There was a fire in the vestibule between the elevator and the entrance door [Sanders’] office”, the fire department reported.
It is reported that there are no injuries. Sanders’ office door was damaged by fire and other parts of the building were damaged by water.
“We are grateful to the Burlington Fire and Police Departments for their prompt response today to a fire incident in our office building,” Sanders state director Kathryn Van Haste said in a statement. “We are relieved that no one on our staff and to our understanding no one in the building was hurt.”
Van Haste also said the US Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms are coordinating with local first responders.
The Burlington Fire Marshal’s office, Burlington Police Department and Vermont State Police are jointly investigating.
A state police spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment Friday night.
The suspicious fire comes as the Capitol Police reported an increase in threat assessment cases last year. In January, police investigated more than 8,000 cases, up nearly 500 from the previous year – including cases involving “statements and direct threats” release.
Frank Thorpe W contributed.