For the second time in two months a house fire in Smithfield has been ruled as arson.
Around 9:00 AM Wednesday, a fire started on the back porch of a home at 820 Second Avenue. Two people were inside the home when the fire was set. They were not injured, however they were displaced from the fire-damaged home.
The Smithfield and Selma Fire Departments responded and put out the fire before it could cause more damage. Assistant Johnston County Fire Marshal Banks Wallace said the fire was intentionally set. Damage to the home was placed at $5,000.
On February 4th, an early morning fire destroyed a home at 103 Lemay Street, off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. That home had been unoccupied since an August 2012 fire prevented the home from being inhabited.
Investigators said there is no evidence linking the two fires.
Anyone with information about either fire is asked to contact the Smithfield Police Department at 919-934-2121.
