If anyone has information about the people who set this fire they can call the arson hot line at 1-800-282-5804. Cash rewards may be given "for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person(s) responsible for arson."

The fire damage to the house was extensive and much of the roof and parts of the walls collapsed. A fire truck and multiple crews worked for about an hour to put out the flames. The house is owned by Jerry and Juanita Dyer, but they said the house had not been rented out to anyone since last July. The house was fairly empty and only a minimal amount of property was damaged inside the home, Smith said.

This is the second fire that has taken place in the Covington mill village in the past week. Smith said some of the homes in the mill village area are "highly volatile" because they are built mainly out of more combustible wood types, such as pine wood. These types of wood tend to burn more quickly and at a higher temperature.

Another factor is that some of these homes are air tight, which allows fires to intensify inside a house before becoming visible to those outside. In this case, Smith said that by the time the firefighters arrived at the house, the fire was already too fierce for anyone to enter the house. The fact that the house was believed to be vacant was also important in the determination of whether to risk the safety of the firefighters.