LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Authorities say a fire that caused minor damage to former President Bill Clinton's childhood home in Hope, Arkansas, was apparently caused by arson.

Hope Police Department Chief J.R. Wilson says a motorist spotted flames early Friday at the Clinton Birthplace National Historic Site. Wilson says that when firefighters arrived a short time later, flames were shooting 8 feet into the air on one side of the structure.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the fire was quickly extinguished and only one interior room was damaged by flames.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Arson is suspected because investigators smelled an accelerant at the scene.

Clinton lived in the home as a child before moving to Hot Springs, Arkansas. It was designated as a National Historic Site in 2011.