Two separate early morning arson fires were under investigation Sunday in Santa Maria months after a series of suspicious blazes damaged or destroyed multiple vehicles in the city.

At approximately 2:30 a.m., Santa Maria firefighters and police officers were dispatched to a fire near the 300 block of East Bunny Avenue. 

The fire occurred in a parking area below residences at the Twin Palms Apartments, where police officers assisted in evacuating residents.

Firefighters extinguished the flames, which did not spread into the apartments.

The units above the fire were vacant so no residents were displaced, firefighters said. 

At approximately 3:30 a.m., emergency personnel were dispatched to a second suspicious fire at the St. Clair Apartments on the 1700 block of Biscayne Street. 

Police said the second incident involved similar circumstances to the fire on Bunny Avenue.

Last year, Santa Maria saw a series of suspicious fires involving vehicles in carports at apartment complexes. 

Authorities investigated three overnight carport fires in roughly four weeks that damaged or destroyed multiple vehicles in the city in May and June. 

The first carport fire occurred early on May 29 at the Summergate Garden Apartments at the intersection of South Blosser Road and West Morrison Avenue.

That fire destroyed eight to 10 vehicles and damaged another eight to 10 in addition to carports on the south and north sides of the complex. 

On June 11, Santa Maria firefighters responded at 6:35 a.m. to an incident on the 200 block of West Lolita Lane, where they found two vehicles engulfed in flames and two others with minor damage in the carport at the Amara Apartments. 

The apartment complex for the May 29 incident is about two miles north of the site of the next fire.

In late June, seven vehicles were damaged or destroyed due to a fire involving a carport at the La Vista Apartments near the intersection of Knudsen Way and Oakley Court .