A trash can near the Eugene Short Hall covered and sealed with tape. Photo by Murat Demir.
The Anchorage Fire Department and University Police Department responded to a fire at a bus stop trash can on Providence Drive on March 23, according to an email from the University Police Department.
The fire is under investigation as suspected arson. A light-skinned male wearing a gray backpack with long hair in a bun was seen in the area, according to the university police email.
Dr. Travis Rector, a professor at the UAA Department of Physics and Astronomy, witnessed the fire and described it in an email to The Northern Light.
“I was driving westbound on Providence Dr. around 2:45pm. As I passed the bus stop on the north side of the road, near (Sally Monserud Hall), I noticed that the trash can there was in full blaze,” wrote Rector.
Rector wrote that he called 911 and reported the fire.
“There was a man standing near the trash can, but I couldn’t tell you anything about what he looked like or what he was doing,” wrote Rector.
The Northern Light reached out to university police Chief Earle for additional information on the suspected arson but did not receive a response.
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