Police are searching for a man who allegedly set Senator Bernie Sanders’ office on fire in Vermont.
A man entered the building and sprayed an accelerant on Sanders’ office door on Friday morning.
He then set it on fire and fled, according to police.
A “significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule, impeding the [access] of staff members who were working in the office and endangering their lives,” according to Burlington Police.
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The third-floor offices of Sanders and those nearby were evacuated.
There were no reported injuries and the building’s sprinkler system largely extinguished the fire, according to police.
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The Burlington Fire Marshal’s office, Burlington Police Department and Vermont State Police are conducting a joint investigation.
The fire comes amid increased threats against political figures in the US.
More than 8,000 cases were investigated by Capitol Police last year. That’s around 500 more than the previous year, according to a report in January.
Sanders, 82, is an independent and in his third term in the US Senate.
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He served in the House of Representatives for 16 years, and before that was mayor of Burlington in Vermont.
In 2016, he stood as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in a campaign that gathered huge support from young voters.
