Both fires reported in the city Sunday and Monday were intentionally set, Vicksburg Fire Department Investigator Leslie Sanders said this morning.

Officials said almost immediately that the blaze reported at 7:24 Sunday night at 1860 Georgia Ave., off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, was arson because no gas or electricity was hooked up at the vacant house.

On Monday, once officials could enter the house at 3711 Halls Ferry Road, where a fire was reported at 6:54 a.m. and reignited hours later, arson came up again.

“We can say that the Georgia Avenue fire was arson,” Sanders said. “It’s been vacant for several years. It is still under investigation, but we’ve got information we’re looking into.”

No accelerant is believed to have been used, but old furniture and wood inside the vacant house served as combustibles, she said.

Embers from the fire on Halls Ferry smoldered for several hours and were extinguished about 2 p.m. Monday.

“I can tell you that one is going to be arson, too,” Sanders said.

She said she does not believe the fires are related.

“We’ve got to do a lot of follow-ups today,” Sanders said. “We just gather information about the fire and any suspects related to it. We have to eliminate any kind of possible accidental cause.”

Sanders said arson convictions can carry sentences of up to 20 years in prison, which can be increased if a firefighter is injured.

The Georgia Avenue house is owned by Jerrick Dotson, county property records show, and the one on Halls Ferry Road is owned by John and Pam Bull, fire officials said.