Arson suspected in Maricopa County Democratic Party headquarters fire
Jul 24, 2020, 3:21 PM | Updated: 8:34 pm
(Maricopa Democratic Party Photo)
(Maricopa Democratic Party Photo)
A fire that broke out early Friday morning at the Maricopa County Democratic Party headquarters in central Phoenix is now being investigated for arson, authorities said.
Phoenix Fire Department crews responded to reports of smoke coming from the building near Central Avenue and Thomas Road at about 1 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the building but were able to extinguish the fire.
No injuries were reported and nobody was in the building at the time of the fire, Phoenix Fire said.
“It’s sad from the standpoint of all the memories that were in there and the memorabilia, but for the most part we’re focused on what’s ahead and that nobody was injured,” Matt Grodsky, communications director for the Arizona Democratic Party, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
The Arizona Democratic Party shares the building with county Democrats, but Grodsky said the Maricopa County side received the brunt of the damage.
Grodsky said the fire won’t have a large effect on the party’s operations since employees have been working remote since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, authorities said.
No other information was immediately available.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jeremy Foster contributed to this report.
