Fountain Hills Fire Department crews responded to two dumpster fires to the rear of the Target shopping center just after 7 a.m. on Friday morning, May 31.

Firefighters found one dumpster engulfed in flames when they arrived and quickly extinguished that with damage confined to the container.

At the same time it was noticed that smoke was coming from an enclosed dumpster nearby, which was attached to the building.

Firefighters had to cut that dumpster to gain access to extinguish that fire, which was mostly smoldering. Smoke was also entering the building into the vacant space that formerly housed the Ross store.

Firefighters entered that unit with a hose line as a precaution, according to Assistant Fire Chief Jason Payne. There was no fire inside.

Payne stopped short of saying the fires might have been deliberately set, but said it is highly unusual for two fires that close to break out spontaneously at the same time.

It would not be unusual for a full dumpster to catch fire spontaneously as temperatures increase.