New immigrant's legal documents destroyed in suspected arson incident outside St. Paul apartment
Flames ripped through a St. Paul apartment carport Wednesday morning, scorching several vehicles and leaving residents shaken.
St. Paul police say they're investigating the incident as a suspected arson and investigators are working to identify who set the fire by canvassing the neighborhood for cameras.
Cell phone video shows flames ripping through the carport, leaving nothing behind.
Among those impacted, Dahir Osman, a new immigrant who lost his Ford Explorer along with all his legal documents in that fire.
"There's nothing else I want but my documentation," Osman said. "They all burned in the car."
Surveillance video shared to WCCO shows people walking near the scene before the blaze.
Property manager Hamadh Abumayyaleh is weary after he says another fire happened recently at a nearby garage.
St. Paul police say they are investigating a garage fire near Beech Street. Video officers obtained allegedly shows someone intentionally set fire to the garage.
Investigators say it's not yet clear whether the two fires are connected.
For tenants like Dahir, the fire is more than a financial loss, but he is grateful the fire did not spread to the apartment.
"We are just happy that nobody got hurt, but definitely somebody needs to pay for their actions," Abumayyaleh said.