GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — An incident report filed by Golden Valley fire investigators makes it clear why an incident that left three offices that house conservative organizations charred and gutted is being looked at as a case of arson.
Ten fire rigs from multiple departments responded to a multi-story office building at 8421 Wayzata Blvd. shortly after 2 a.m. Jan. 28 on reports of a fire. They discovered two offices on the first floor and one on the third floor burning with high heat and heavy smoke present.
The offices on the first floor housed The Center for the American Experiment and Take Charge, and the third-floor office belonged to the Upper Midwest Law Center. All three are organizations that promote and advocate for conservative values.
On Feb. 2, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms confirmed that the fires are being investigated as arson, and documents obtained by KARE 11 underline why.
In an incident report, Assistant Golden Valley Fire Chief Dominique LaRue Guzman describes the response to the fires and documents that the fire on the first floor started with "multiple heat sources, including multiple ignitions." The report says the fire started when a flammable liquid or gas in a container or pipe - specifically gasoline - was ignited.
UMLC Senior Counsel James Dickey decried the first as a deliberate act in a news release following the fire that destroyed the center's office.
“We will not be intimidated by this apparent act of domestic terrorism," Dickey wrote. "Our resolve to uphold justice and protect the rights of Minnesotans remains unyielding. Despite the setback, the Upper Midwest Law Center will continue to champion the values of fairness, equality and freedom for all."
KARE 11 has contacted the ATF to see whether suspects have been identified or arrested in the case.
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