KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A man has been arrested on Saturday after a fire damaged a Knoxville business, according to the Knoxville Fire Department.

Firefighters responded to HireQuest Direct of Knoxville on Holly Street after reports of a fire inside the building on Friday. Crews were able to find and extinguish the fire.

  • HireQuest Direct fire on Holly Street 3
    (Courtesy of the Knoxville Fire Department)
  • HireQuest Direct fire on Holly Street 5
    (Courtesy of the Knoxville Fire Department)
  • HireQuest Direct fire on Holly Street
    (Courtesy of the Knoxville Fire Department)
  • HireQuest Direct fire on Holly Street 2
    (Courtesy of the Knoxville Fire Department)
  • HireQuest Direct fire on Holly Street 4
    (Courtesy of the Knoxville Fire Department)

Knoxville Fire said when investigators came to the scene, they determined that the fire was “suspicious in nature.”

According to the arrest report, video surveillance shows a man setting multiple fires to the exterior of the building. A person working at the business was able to identify the suspect as former HireQuest employee 51-year-old Larry Lee Hurst.

Authorities arrested Hurst at the 400 block of North Broadway after he reportedly confessed to setting the fires. Hurst has been charged with one count of arson.

He is currently being held at the Knox County Detention Facility.

The HireQuest building sustained smoke, water and fire damage, according to Knoxville Fire. No injuries were reported.

“Knoxville Fire and Explosive Investigations Unit members are members of the Knoxville Fire Department that are specially trained in investigating fire and crimes related to fire. The Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit is charged with determining the cause and origin of all suspicious fires,” Knoxville Fire said in a news release.