COLUMBUS, Ga. - A homeless pair has been sentenced to prison for burning a Columbus mill in a fire so intense it blistered the paint on responding firetrucks.

U.S. District Court Judge Clay Land on Thursday sentenced Frederick Bryant to 10 years in prison on an arson charge. His accomplice, Gail Setters, was sentenced to four years.

The pair was accused of setting the Oct. 23, 2005 blaze that destroyed the Cartersville Spinning Mill. Fire official said it was the city's third-largest blaze since 1930.

The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported that Setters apologized for helping light the fire.

Bryant said the goal was to use smoke to force other people from the building. The homeless couple planned to take copper wire stored in the structure.

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Information from: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, http://ledger-enquirer.com

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