Auburn detectives are investigating three early morning fires from last weekend that police believe could be connected.

According to the Auburn Police Department, a structure fire caused extensive damage early Sept. 27 to an unoccupied, two-family residence at 56 N. Lewis St. The incident, which occurred at approximately 4:40 a.m., was determined by an arson investigator as suspicious in nature, according to the APD.

At approximately 4:30 a.m. the next day, officers were dispatched to 46 Grant Ave., also known as the Faatz-Crofut Home for the Elderly, after receiving a report of a nearby trash bin fire. Officers arrived to find the trash bin fire, which was quickly extinguished by the Auburn Fire Department, police said.

At 5:09 a.m. later that morning, Auburn police were called to Morris Street, where residents stated that a group of three juveniles poured some type of liquid on the road and lit it on fire, according to the APD. The responding officer reported smelling flammable liquid while responding to the call.

Officers located two men on Maple Street soon after, but the men fled and were not found again, according to the APD.

Investigators believe all three incidents are related, as they all occurred in a close proximity, and the final two took place within a half hour of one another, according to the APD.

Auburn police ask anyone with information about incidents or involved individuals to call 255-4705.