RAEFORD — Authorities in Hoke County have arrested five volunteer firefighters and accused them of setting brush and building fires around the area.

The Fayetteville Observer reports the five worked with the Hillcrest Fire Department. They have been charged in four structure fires set between Feb. 20 and March 24, and four brush fires set between March 4 and April 14. The structures were uninhabited.

Officials say an investigation into the fires began April 14, when investigators received a call reporting fires in a wooded area behind the Walmart in Raeford. The sheriff’s office said a caller provided information about three suspects and a license plate number for a vehicle.

Three of the five suspects have been released to their parents. The other two were expected to surrender to authorities.