Arson suspected in early morning fire that burned 2 cars in Raleigh

Two cars burned early Thursday morning in Raleigh, and police believe the fires were set on purpose.

After 2 a.m., first responders responded to a shopping center in the 4400 block of Craftsman Drive to find a white SUV charred with heavy damage in the parking lot. The SUV is a total loss, police said.

Police said a second car also had significant fire damage in its back seat.

It took firefighters around 15 minutes to extinguish the fires. No one was hurt.

Equipment failure did not appear to be a factor, and investigators suspect arson. An investigation is ongoing.

A tow truck was used to remove the vehicles.