GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Investigators are hoping for help from the public in catching a possible serial arsonist who has been operating in three counties.

Authorities said a dozen blazes have been set in Greenville and Spartanburg counties in South Carolina and Polk County in North Carolina.

Whoever is setting the fires is using everything from diesel fuel to leaves as an accelerant. Investigators are hoping someone out there may know who’s behind the blazes.

"This is by no means (meant) to strike panic in anyone and say, ‘Oh, we’ve got someone running around setting fires,’” said Joey Davis, fire chief in Tryon, N.C. “But by the same token, we're not going to tolerate it.”

On Tuesday night, flames from one of the fires singed the Plumley family’s property line in Landrum. The blaze left behind only a chimney next door.

"It was scary and I know it had to be somebody that set it, because there's no power in the building," said Sylvia Plumley.

The building had been abandoned.

In North Carolina, Davis is investigating the burning of 10 to 30 acres.

"What we've got right now is we are dealing with two fires that are suspicious in origin that we dealt with early Sunday morning on Hog Back Mountain Road," Davis said.

The line of suspicious fires extends to Greenville County, where investigators said several abandoned buildings were targeted.

"This is a big investigation just because we have so many jurisdictions,” Davis said.