A firework was deliberately shot Tuesday evening into a home in downtown Murfreesboro causing fire that displaced a couple and their cats.

It was around 5:30 pm Tuesday when crews responded to 365 S. Bilbro St. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire and immediately went into rescue mode…searching for 10 cats, three of which were kittens.

Nine of the animals were rescued by the firefighters and one escaped on its own. 

The Fire Marshal’s Office was called to investigate and with the help of the homeowners, was able to obtain video evidence of a firework being shot into the home.

In the same night, crews responded to two other incidents involving fireworks; one at 450 N State Street which resulted in a small ground-level exterior fire and the other in the area of Sun Circle. The Sun Circle incident involved a vehicle that fortunately was not damaged.

The Fire Marshal’s Office and Murfreesboro Police Department need your help. These incidents are believed to be related.

If you have any information regarding any or all of these incidents, please contact MFRD’s Fire Marshals’ Office at 615-849-2605 or Rutherford County Crime Stoppers at 615-893-STOP (7867) Monday through Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm. Callers will remain anonymous and cash rewards of up to $1,000 are offered for information leading to the arrest of persons of interest. You may also contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017 for a cash award of up to $5,000. 

The Fire Marshal’s Office would also like to remind the public that there are rules and regulations in place for fireworks use and sales inside the city limits of Murfreesboro.