Two fires in Burnsville, one of them sending two people to the hospital with burns, were set minutes apart and are suspected of being connected to illicit drug activity.
The first blaze, burning leaves along a curb on Norway Circle, caught the attention of firefighters shortly after 10:20 a.m. Friday, according to police.
Minutes later and about three-fourths of a mile to the west, a car was on fire in front of a home in the 2300 block of Skyline Drive, police said.
The car's driver and a passenger suffered burns, requiring treatment at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Fire and police personnel "determined that the two fires were possibly connected and drug-related," authorities said.
The Dakota County Drug Task Force is assisting in the investigation and is asking anyone with information about the case to call Sgt. Patrick Gast at 952-895-4609.
Paul Walsh
