A blue U.S. Postal Service mailbox in Phoenix, Arizona, caught fire at about 1:20 a.m. local time Thursday morning, damaging several ballots and other pieces of mail, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.
According to Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Rob McDade, the mailbox was a collection box for mail at the Post Office at 3905 North 7th Avenue. The fire was extinguished and the area was later reopened.
McDade initially said about 20 ballots were damaged Thursday, but Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes later said five ballots were affected.
McDade said authorities with the fire and police departments are investigating the incident and a postal inspector has seized the damaged mail. Authorities have not yet determined a motive.
Federal authorities had warned before Election Day that ballots could be deliberately damaged in transit.
Phoenix Police Department spokesman Rob Scherer added that surveillance footage was collected by investigators.
Fontes, a Democrat, praised the local fire department for its quick response, but condemned the incident.
“I am deeply disturbed by the burning of a USPS collection box in Phoenix where 5 ballots were damaged. This deliberate act of vandalism undermines the integrity of our democratic process,” he said. “We have dispatched firefighting equipment to counties in Arizona to prevent such incidents and protect our election process.”
Brandy Zadrozny and Alex Tabet contributed.