NEW CASTLE, Ind. -- Three houses were set on fire early Tuesday morning in New Castle, Indiana.
New Castle Fire Chief Mark Boatright said other nearby houses were damaged in addition to the three vacant homes set on fire.
Boatright said the department responded to fires near the following intersections:
- 17th Street and B Avenue
- 16th Street and F Street
- 19th Street and G Street
Homes surrounding those that caught fire were also damaged.
Linda Smith's said she was thankful she was not at home during the time of the fire. Her house was one of those in the surrounding area. She said it was damaged so bad, firefighters had to knock it down.
"I really could have been in there. With my breathing conditions I probably wouldn't have made it out alive," said Smith.
Fire investigators have stopped short of calling it arson, but they do call the fires "suspicious."
"We literally have nothing but the clothes on our backs,"said Smith. "It makes me extremely mad and upset. I want to cry but I can't."
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
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