A rash of house fires and vandalism occurred in the county Sunday night and early Monday morning. At least four homes burned within hours of each other, and the cause has not been determined.

The first house that several fire departments were dispatched to was at Rio Vista. A few hours later, fire departments responded to Wallins, where a house in front of the Wallins Baptist Church was burning, and a mobile home behind the Wallins Post Office was burning at the same time around 2 a.m.

Around 3 a.m., a house was reported to be on fire at Elcomb. When the fire department arrived, the house was engulfed in flames.

The two Wallins homes were unoccupied. Information wasn't available about the Rio Vista and Elcomb houses.

The Kentucky State Police arson investigator has been contacted to investigate the fires.

Acts of vandalism were also reported in Wallins. A Wallins resident was outraged when he came outside of his home Monday morning to find that black paint had been splattered on the walls and doors.

Another act of vandalism included a glass door broken out of a former grocery store/gas station beside the Wallins Post Office.

A woman who lives on School House Hill at Wallins asked residents in the area Monday to be on the lookout for a gas grill that was stolen from her front porch during the night.

Since the city of Wallins lost its police officer nearly five months ago, violence, vandalism and other illegal activity have reportedly been increasing.

Some residents in the area, who asked to remain anonymous, say they are “sitting up at night to look after their property and sleeping during the day.”

In other news:

-- A Knox County man was arrested Monday for two counts of rape and two counts of incest of his daughter.

James Gambrel, 41, of Barbourville, allegedly sexually abused his daughter in 2004. She is now 10.

Gambrel was indicted by a Knox County Grand Jury. He was lodged in jail by KSP Det. Clyde Wells with bond set $50,000.

-- A Knox County woman was arrested Monday for the murder of her husband.

Ginger Smith, 33, of Corbin, was lodged in jail on a $100,000 bond.

According to a police report, nine months ago, the state police and Knox County Sheriff's Department responded to a 911 call by Smith that her husband had killed himself.

Wells investigated the case and was able to obtain enough information to indict Smith for the murder of her husband, Joe M. Smith, 37.