Vermont police are investigating a fire at Independent Senator Bernie Sanders’s office as a suspected arson attack.
A man can be seen on surveillance footage entering the vestibule of the office before spraying an apparent accelerant on the entrance door, according to CNN.
“He then lit the accelerant and fled,” police 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 at the office around 10:45 a.m. on Friday. No one was injured in the suspected attack, however, there was damage from the fire set to the door of the third-floor office and “significant damage to that space and other areas of the building” caused by water from the sprinkler system.
Vermont State Police and the Burlington Police Department are searching for the suspect, whose identity and motive are unknown.
The U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms are “working in coordination with local first responders,” Sanders office said.
“We are grateful to the Burlington Fire and Police Departments who responded immediately today to a fire incident that took place in our office building,” Sanders’ state director Kathryn Van Haste said in a statement to NBC News. “We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed.”