Police searching for suspect in fire at Bernie Sanders’ office

By Mary Kay Mallonee, Raja Razek and Kaanita Iyer, CNN

(CNN) — Police are looking for a man who they say lit a fire at independent Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Vermont office Friday.

The Burlington Police Department released photos Friday evening asking the public to help identify the suspect. Police have not yet identified a motive.

There were no known injuries, police said, though there was damage from the fire set to the door of the third-floor office. There was also “significant damage to that space and other areas of the building” due to water from the sprinkler system, which largely extinguished the fire, police said in a news release.

The suspect “entered the vestibule” of the office and “sprayed an apparent accelerant on the entrance door,” according to the release.

“He then lit the accelerant and fled,” the release said. “A significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule, impeding the egress of staff members who were working in the office and endangering their lives.”

First responders arrived on the scene at Sanders’ office at approximately 10:45 a.m. local time, according to police.

The Burlington fire marshal’s office earlier Friday said it “deemed this fire incendiary in nature” and that the investigation will be now be handled by the Vermont State Police and the Burlington Police Department.

The US Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms are also “working in coordination with local first responders,” according to Sanders’ Vermont state director Kathryn Van Haste.

“We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed,” Van Haste said in a statement.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Ted Barrett contributed to this report.

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