Arsonist hits main Springfield library with three fires

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Arsonists broke into the main library in Springfield on Monday and set fires in three different areas, police said. Jeanne Duffey, a spokeswoman for the Springfield-Greene County Library, said the Library Center was damaged early Monday, when it was closed for the Martin Luther King holiday. Fire crews and the library's sprinkler quickly put out the blazes.

, but up to 2 inches of water was dumped on the north half of the library, including the technical services area where new library books are cataloged, Duffey said.

Springfield police spokesman Matt Brown said the person or persons responsible got into the library through a drive-through window and used gasoline to start the fires. He said police had no suspects.

Duffey said she did not have a damage estimate. She expected the library to remain closed on Tuesday.