A blue U.S. Postal Service mailbox in Phoenix, Arizona, was set on fire at approximately 1:20 a.m. local time Thursday morning, damaging several ballots and other pieces of mail, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.
The mailbox was a drive-up collection box for mail at the Post Office at 3905 North 7th Avenue, according to Rob McDade, a spokesman for the Phoenix Fire Department. The fire was extinguished and the area has since been reopened.
McDade originally said Thursday that approximately 20 ballots were damaged, but Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes later said that five ballots were affected.
McDade said authorities with the fire and police departments are investigating the incident and that the Postal Inspector took possession of the damaged mail. The authorities have yet to identify a motive.
Federal authorities have warned in the lead-up to Election Day that ballots could be intentionally damaged in transit.
Surveillance footage was collected by investigators, added Rob Scherer, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department.
Fontes, a Democrat, commended the local fire department for its quick response, but condemned the incident.
“I’m deeply troubled by the arson attack on a USPS collection box in Phoenix, which damaged 5 ballots. This deliberate act of vandalism undermines the integrity of our democratic process,” he said in a statement. “We have sent fire suppression equipment to the counties across Arizona to prevent such incidents and protect our electoral process.”
Brandy Zadrozny and Alex Tabet contributed.