At approximately 3:00 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 14 an Orono police officer was leaving his shift when he noticed two squad cars engulfed in flames. The Long Lake Fire Department was called to put out the fire at Orono police headquarters and was successful in stopping more damage from occurring. In addition to the two targeted cars, there was slight cosmetic damage to a third squad car. The cars that were the most damaged in the fire were a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe and a Crown Victoria. Both of these cars will have to be put out of service permanently, and the total damage was estimated at $100,000.

The fire is suspected to be classified as an arson, as a bottle of accelerant was found in close vicinity to the squad cars that were set ablaze. When asked to comment by the Star Tribune, Orono Police Chief Correy Farnoik said, “If it truly was arson, it takes a lot of guts to get inside our lot and to this right next to the police station.” The Orono Police Department has had other problems in recent months with squad car vandalism and are now looking into more security measures for the parking lot.

Woody Hust is Sports Editor for The Spartan Speaks.