Update: Former Housekeeper Charged in Tennessee Dorm Fires

A former employee of the University of Tennessee is accused of setting two fires at a Knoxville dormitory.

The university says Amy Ellis, who was a housekeeper at UT’s Humes Hall, has been charged with aggravated arson.

Ellis was hired on Nov. 27 as a temporary employee, and her job ended Jan. 29.

Residents at the women’s dormitory were evacuated after a fire was discovered Jan. 28 in a study lounge and again Jan. 29 after a bulletin board was found to be burning.

A university spokeswoman said Wednesday that Ellis passed a background check. Because she was hired for a specific amount of time, no cause for termination was necessary.