Police are investigating two cases of arson that occurred early this morning in north Salina.
Shortly after midnight, officers and firefighters were dispatched to the 700 block of North Fifth Street for the report of a vehicle fire, said Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester. When they arrived, they saw flames coming from the rear passenger side of a 1998 Chevrolet Astro van belonging to Victor Davis, 64, of Salina, he said.
The Salina Fire Department determined that the fire was arson, Forrester said.
The van, valued at $1,000, was a total loss, he said.
While officers were finishing up with that case, they were notified of another fire in the 800 block of North Third. When they arrived, they found a 1976 white and orange Winnebago recreational vehicle (RV) fully engulfed in flames, Forrester said. That vehicle, valued at $3,000, was a total loss, he said.
A nearby 1986 Winnebago RV also caught fire but was not destroyed, Forrester said. Damage was estimated at $1,500, he said.
Both RVs were the property of Marselino Costello, 83, of Salina, Forrester said.
The Salina Fire Department also ruled this case as arson, he said.
Forrester said that police are trying to determine whether several gas cans found in the middle of the street in the 700 block of South Broadway were connected to the two arson cases. One of the cans was half full and the others were full, he said.