Reward Offered for Information on Tiverton Mill Arson Blaze

TIVERTON, RI—Authorities are offering a reward for information as the investigation into Monday morning's fire at a vacant mill building in Tiverton turns into a criminal arson case.

Fire Chief Robert Lloyd said that the fire, which broke out at around 2 a.m., was deliberately set and the reward is being offered for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.

If you know who set the fire, call 401-383-7723.

Lloyd said the Tiverton Fire Department has been working with the state Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to make the reward possible.

The fire, which caused one firefighter to get sent to the hospital for treatment for heat exhaustion, is one of several suspicious fires in the area, including a spate of fires in Fall River.

The building at 1 Mill St. was boarded up and secured and there was no electricity connected to the structure before the fire broke out.

Crews from Tiverton and Fall River battled the blaze well into the morning as smoke billowed and hotspots flared up.

Photo by: Fred Almeida