Two Fort Hood soldiers are in custody after the Army Criminal Investigation Division identified them as suspects in a fire set in a barracks laundry room Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Fort Hood, Texas. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)

AUSTIN, Texas — Two Fort Hood soldiers are in custody because Army officials believe they set fire to a barracks laundry room over the weekend and painted graffiti on walls, according to a statement from the Texas base.

The Fort Hood Fire Department was dispatched at about 1 a.m. Saturday in response to a fire alarm at a barracks building, according to base officials. Firefighters forced their way into a laundry room and located two separate fires in a washer and a dryer. Both were extinguished with minimal structural damage and all barracks residents were safely evacuated, the base said.

The department’s investigation revealed the fires were set intentionally and that walls and windows were vandalized with paint that appeared to be fresh. The Army Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the incident as arson and two soldiers who “recently arrived” at Fort Hood were identified as possible suspects. The two soldiers were not identified by base officials.

“There is no current threat to soldiers in the barracks or the local community,” according to Fort Hood officials.

Soldiers who live in the barracks building were able to return to their rooms, according to John Miller, spokesman for Fort Hood.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Fort Hood military police at 254-288-COPS or the Fort Hood CID office at 254-287-2722.