Three more cars were set on fire overnight, making a total of seven in two days:
A Honda Element was set on fire at Southeast 72nd and Tolman and reported at 4:44 a.m.; a Saturn Vue at 74th and Otty was reported on fire at about 4:25; and a burning Ford Ranger at 96th and Steele was reported at 5:04, said Portland Fire Bureau spokesman Lt. Allen Oswalt.
"These people are going to be tough to catch," Oswalt said, adding that the suspect or suspects aren't spending more than a minute or so at each fire. "We are going to have to catch them in the act."
Oswalt said people with information about the fires can call the bureau's arson hotline at 503-823 3791. The number is not staffed around the clock but callers should leave a message, he said.
The vandals seem to be hitting similar compact SUV-type cars like the Honda CRV--three of which were totalled on Tuesday in fires.
Update: An Oregonian interview with Denise and William Schmidt, whose car was totaled:
