3 vehicles set on fire

Three vehicles were set on fire by unidentified perpetrators in separate incidents Monday in Sadog Tasi, San Roque, and in As Lito. No one was hurt in the incidents.

Department of Public Safety acting spokesman Sgt. Thomas A. Blas Jr. said all three were arson-related but, as of this time, it is not yet determined if they were caused by the same suspect or suspects.

So as not to jeopardize the ongoing investigations, Blas refused to disclose what material was used to set off the fires.

The spokesman said DPS received the first call of a vehicle on fire at 4:40pm that occurred near Rifu Garment in Sadog Tasi.

He said a white 1990 Mazda 626 sedan belonging to one employee of Rifu Apparel was burned. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire, but the vehicle was totally damaged.

The second incident was reported to DPS at 5:01pm at the parking lot of Hotel Nikko Saipan in San Roque.

The vehicle was a blue 2001 Nissan Frontier registered to Marine Tech Saipan Inc. It sustained extensive damage, according to Blas.

The shop’s pickup truck was set on fire 30 minutes after the driver parked it near the hotel’s chapel. The truck carried tourists and had just arrived from a diving spot on Saipan.

It was a mechanic from S2 Diving Shop who noticed smoke coming out from the truck. The mechanic ran to the office to report the fire. A staff at S2 Diving Shop immediately called the emergency 911 hotline.

About six to seven employees, including the mechanic, tried to put out the blaze that engulfed the vehicle, using fire extinguishers. The glass window on the passenger side was broken.

Blas said the third case was reported to DPS at 7:48pm near Ben International Corp. in As Lito.

A silver 2005 Toyota Corolla belonging to Longyuan Luo received extensive damage inside.

A resident of the nearby Guangzhi barracks stopped the fire using a fire extinguisher before the arrival of Fire personnel.

Witnesses told [I]Saipan Tribune[/I] that Luo parked the car outside the barracks to visit a friend. Someone later told him that his car was on fire.

Apparently a man was seen running away shortly before the fire broke out.

Blas said fire investigators were summoned to all three scenes and have indicated that the fires were all started by an unknown person.

“These cases are still under investigation,” Blas said.

The spokesman appealed to anyone who has information about the incidents to call DPS Criminal Investigation Bureau at 664-9045 or the Crime Stoppers hotline at 234-7272.