One of the last Civil War-era homes in Rhea County burned to the ground Monday evening, apparently because a young alleged arsonist was “bored.”

Firefighters with the Pine Grove and Spring City units of the Rhea County Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire near Rhea County Highway about 10 p.m. Monday. Upon their arrival, the firefighters found the two-story frame house fully engulfed in flames, according to Assistant Fire Chief Chuck Kinney.

At about the same time, Bob Clack, whose family has owned the home since 1941, spotted a young man near the home, watching the fire. When Clack asked him what he was doing there, the young man ran into the woods, according to Rhea County Detective Chris Hall.

Clack contacted the sheriff’s department, and Sheriff Mike Neal and deputies Wayne Wilkey, Rusty Rogers and Kyle Aiken responded to the scene, along with Neal’s tracking dog, Billy.

The officers tracked the suspect for almost two hours before they located him in the brush close to the house, still watching the fire, Hall said.

The officers took Adam W. Gunter, 23, of Harriman, Tenn., into custody and transported him to the Rhea County Jail where he is being held on violation of probation and other outstanding warrants, according to Hall.

The Clack house was completely destroyed. Kinney said the home had not been lived in for several years and did not have any utilities or insurance. The house was the target of another arson fire about a month ago.

Edna Sachs, the current owner of the home, said the house was built around the time of the Civil War and had been home to the Roddy family for which the Roddy community is named. Her father, R.M. Clack, purchased the home in 1941, and it has remained in the Clack family ever since.

Hall, who interviewed Gunter on Tuesday, said that Gunter gave a statement indicating that he set the fire in the old home using some paper.

“He said he was just bored,” Hall said. “That’s the only reason he gave for starting the fire.”

Gunter had been staying with a brother in the Roddy community prior to the fire, according to Hall.

Hall said he plans to present the case as an original indictment to the December session of the Rhea County Grand Jury. If Gunter is able to post a bond on his other charges before then, Hall said he will go ahead and arrest Gunter for arson.

John Carpenter can be reached at jcarpenter@xtn.net.