RALEIGH, N.C. — An argument over what kind of car to buy may be behind a fire at a Raleigh parking deck.

Authorities said Mark D. Fisher, 46, of Stedman was so mad that his girlfriend, Amy Swanner, did not buy the car that he selected that he decided to torch the one that she picked.

After the car exploded in the parking deck where Swanner worked, it raised enough concern for police to evacuate The Forum office complex on Six Forks Road in Raleigh for several hours on Tuesday while they searched for explosives.

Police said Fisher set fire to Swanner's car, a 1999 Dodge Intrepid, using 49 cents worth of gasoline. The fire caused the car to explode and Fisher fell off the parking deck while trying to flee the scene.

"We think what happened was he didn't realize that he thought he was going over the wall and hit the ground in a few feet, but it was a 30- to 35-foot drop," Lt. Chris Morgan of the Raleigh Police Department said.

Police said they have issued warrants for Fisher's arrest, but they are not going to arrest him until he gets out of the intensive care unit at WakeMed. Fisher sustained head and ankle injuries.