A weekend fire that damaged two apartments and a hardware store in New Paris is now being ruled an arson. That's according to our reporting partners at the Elkhart Truth.

Crews were called to the 68,000 block of Main Street at around 7:15 Saturday night by someone who said the building was burning.

Firefighters from several area departments, as well as the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department, were called in to help.

Everyone was able to escape without injury, but the fire destroyed the back apartment occupied by one person and severely damaged another apartment, displacing a mother and her two children.

The New Paris Pro Hardware and Farm Store was also damaged from smoke and water and is looking at months of repair, but the store does remain open for business.

The state fire marshal was called and the incident is now under investigation to find out how it was set and who set it.

This isn't the first time a blaze has broken out at the building. The hardware store and apartments caught fire 11 years ago. That cause was traced to a tenant who fell asleep while smoking.