Carl Condray, fire marshal for the city of Big Spring, said the first report came at approximately 11:32 p.m. Tuesday in the 800 block of Runnels.

“The first fire was a vehicle fire,” said Condray. “It was reported in a small parking lot located behind the AT&T building on Runnels. The vehicle was a Ford Focus and was completely destroyed. When firefighters arrived on the scene, the entire rear of the vehicle was engulfed.”

Condray said it took firefighters approximately five minutes to extinguish the blaze.

“It appears the fire was set using some trash,” he said. “It went up pretty quick. There were no injuries reported as a result of the fire, which has been ruled arson.”

A second fire, reported at approximately 3:19 a.m. in the 900 block of Goliad, destroyed a derelict building that was part of the former Big Spring Care Center, which was torn down a few weeks ago.

“Apparently, when the facility was torn down the maintenance building was not part of the demolition,” said Condray. “Because the building was derelict, there's no real damage to report as far as dollar amounts go. It took firefighters approximately 15 minutes to extinguish the fire.”

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire, according to fire department records.

Condray said both fires — which are still under investigation — have been ruled arson attacks, and could likely have been set by the same person or group of people.

“Considering the proximity of the two fires and the times they were set, I'd say there's a pretty good chance they are related,” said Condray. “It's certainly possible.”

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it