Iowa City Police and Fire Looking Into Causes of Suspicious Fire on Van Buren Street

No one was injured after the iowa City Fire Department doused a fire early this morning at 418 S. Van Buren Street that investigators believe may have "suspicious" origins.

At 4:06 a.m. this morning at 4:06 a.m. the Iowa City Police and Fire Departments responded to the back parking lot of 418 S. Van Buren, near North Market Park, for a report of a vehicle fire, according to a media release.

First arrivers to the scene observed a  two dumpsters, two vehicles, and one tree were on fire in the area. Iowa City firefighters successfully extinguished the fire before it was able to spread to other buildings. No one was injured and total damage to property is still being assessed. 

An investigation into the incident revealed that the circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire are suspicious, according to the release.

Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers is offering a reward of up to $1000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in this incident. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact CrimeStoppers at 358-TIPS (8477). All calls are confidential and the caller's identity does not need to be revealed to collect the reward.