A fiery explosion destroyed an SUV parked just off Lake Street before dawn last week, and Minneapolis fire officials said Tuesday that they suspect the blaze was an act of arson.
The large blast that followed the torching awoke many neighbors shortly after 5 a.m. last Wednesday near the intersection of E. Lake Street and S. 11th Avenue.
A Fire Department investigation said the SUV was set ablaze with gasoline or some other accelerant as it was parked on southbound 11th just south of Lake. The fire started in the vehicle's passenger compartment, according to a department incident report.
Fire Chief Bryan Tyner said video surveillance recorded the fire, but it's unclear if a suspect was captured in the images. No arrests have been announced, and authorities have yet to suggest a possible motive for the vehicle's destruction.
The SUV was owned by Time Motor Sales, located nearby on Lake Street. The owner of the independent business was not immediately available for comment.
Emily Bicking, who lives near the scene, said a neighbor on an internet chat board reported seeing two men walking quickly south on 11th Avenue just seconds after the blasts.
"Our immediate area was hit very hard by arson after George Floyd was murdered," Bicking said. "Many of us had to leave our homes for several days due to the smoke and proximity to the fires at that time."
As the Derek Chauvin trial progressed, Bicking said, "we have all been on edge over the past several weeks" leading up to the guilty verdicts on the afternoon before the SUV went up in flames.
Diane Cullumber lives seven or eight houses down the block from the blaze and said the series of explosions woke her.
"It shook the entire house," said Cullumber, who lives in the upstairs unit of her duplex. "I heard several car alarms going off, which made sense given the impact. The first explosion shook my apartment, then I heard two smaller and not as loud explosions."
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
