The state Fire Marshal’s Office is asking for the community’shelp in solving two cases of suspected arson that took place inBrookhaven just under a week ago.

A bathroom fire in a home on Industrial Park Road around 6 p.m.Wednesday and a separate fire that gutted a house that was beingrenovated Thursday morning both, under investigation by BrookhavenFire Department arson investigators and an agent of the state FireMarshal’s Office, appeared to be intentionally set, officialssaid.

Deputy State Fire Marshal Scott Barnes said investigators willonly rule a fire as arson if every possible accidental cause hasbeen ruled out.

“A lot of fires are set with kids playing with lighters or otheraccidental causes, and there’s no intention to burn the housedown,” he said. “Anything that could cause a reason for a fire tohappen, we certainly have to rule out in order to rule it anarson.”

The state fire marshal only becomes involved with aninvestigation when requested by a local agency, Barnes said.

The fire at 316 Industrial Park Road involved a rental houseowned by Betty Montgomery of Brookhaven. The fire was started in abathroom in the home. Firefighters were able to contain the damageto the one bathroom, which initial estimates showed was only a 20percent loss on the house.

“That fire occurred in a bathroom inside the structure, and ofcourse all of our accidental causes are ruled out,” Barnes said.”It was an incendiary fire set by human hands, so we just have torun down what we can. Both the state Fire Marshal’s Office and theDepartment of Insurance encourage people that are going to renthomes to get rental insurance to protect their property for thisvery reason.”

The second fire, at the corner of Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Driveand Old Wesson Road, occurred around 4:45 a.m. in a house that wasbeing remodeled. There was no electricity in the house at the time.The property is owned by Tedric Thompson of Brookhaven.

“That fire occurred in the middle of the night when the crewdoing the renovation was not working at that time, so you have anunoccupied dwelling under construction that a fire occurs in atthat time of the morning?” Barnes said. “All accidental causes weredefinitely ruled out in that fire.”

Barnes said the state Fire Marshal’s Office is asking the publicto let them know if they saw anything out of the ordinary in eitherarea on the night of Wednesday, July 16 or Thursday, July 17.

“It’s really like any type of crime. If you see people that arestrangers to the neighborhood you’re in, people and vehicles thatyou don’t normally see, or things that out of place, contact locallaw enforcement in your area to report it,” Barnes said.

So far there are no clues linking the two fires, Barnes said,and there are no suspects in the cases either. Barnes said anyonewith information is asked to contact either the state FireMarshal’s Office at (601) 359-1061 or (888) 648-0877.

Any information leading to an arrest and conviction of anarsonist pays up to a $1,000 reward, Barnes said. Tips can also besubmitted to Lincoln County Crimestoppers at (601) 823-0150.

“In some cases we have had them run through both a localCrimestoppers and our office, and in some cases they both pay,”Barnes said. “The key there is that we have to have a conviction onit.”