BELGRADE (AP)
Authorities here are investigating an arson fire that destroyed three driver’s education vehicles, but say they have yet to determine whether the blaze is related to a string of arson fires earlier in the nearby Bozeman area. Belgrade Police Officer Mike Dixon said the fire that burned a 2005 Nissan Altima, 2001 Chevrolet Impala and 2001 Chevrolet Lumina parked at Belgrade High School Monday morning was deliberately set. “We’re definitely considering this an arson at this point,” Dixon said.
No one was injured in the blaze, but the high school building did have a small amount of heat and smoke damage. “This was quite a bonfire,” Superintendent Herb Benz said. “It totally destroyed the vehicles.” The cars were being used this summer to teach teens how to drive. Driver’s education classes will not be canceled due to the fires, Benz said. The district plans to lease one car and purchase another. Earlier this month, three cars, a barn, a trash bin, two soda vending machines and the Bogert Park pavilion in Bozeman were intentionally set on fire. Those fires remain under investigation.
