Residents were forced from an East Hartford apartment building Monday after someone set several fires inside the building.
Firefighters responded to the building at 231 Ellington Road just before 9 a.m.
According to investigators, someone set about a dozen small fires. Many of the fires were directly in front of apartment doors.
It is the fifth time firefighters have been called to the building to douse small fires since last summer, according to officials.
"It is very troubling because it's getting worse," said Fire Chief John Oates. "It's not getting any better, which means we're going to continue to work even harder to make sure that we put a stop to it. When we find out who it is and what they're doing, they're going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Arson dogs were brought into the apartment building to search for evidence and authorities offered at $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the arsons.
Adding to the danger Monday, resident said they pulled fire alarms to alert other residents, but the alarms did not work. Firefighters are looking into why the alarms malfunctioned and would remain on scene until the alarms are operating properly, according to Oates.
