Texas Panhandle news sources are reporting that an arson fire this past weekend burned years of paint off one of the cars at Cadillac Ranch.
Sheriff’s deputies received a call about the fire at 2:15 a.m. and it was extinguished 20 minutes later, NBC News in Amarillo reported.
The Cadillac Ranch Facebook page reported that while the paint was burned, the car’s metal structure remained intact.
“When all is said and done,” the Facebook post said, “the Cadillac Ranch still stands as a testament to time, beauty, art and history — despite the callous attempt to erase it. Much like their West Texas home, these Cadillacs are iconic for their strength — through adversity, drought, wind, and fire, they remain standing through the decades.”
The ranch is on private property but is open day and night without charge to the public. Many of the tourists who visit bring spray-paint cans in what is an ever-changing work of public art.
The Potter County Sheriff’s office is investigating the source of the fire.
The same car was damaged several years ago when someone removed the roof section of the vehicle. Cadillac Ranch supporters repaired the car after that act of vandalism.
