Arson investigators in the city of Pittsburgh say the economy is increasingly to blame for blazes.

Detective Mike Burns said a lot of people are having trouble selling their homes due to the slumping housing market and they get frustrated.

"They can't sell it so what they try to do then is have a fire in the house and cause enough damage that the insurance company will buy the house back," said Burns.

One of those fires was set in Beechview. Burns said it started on the second floor after the owners had moved to another home and were trying to sell.

Investigators charged Michelle Yingst in that case. Her attorney, Jimmy Sheets, said she will be proven not guilty.

"I'm confident that Miss Yingst is a victim in this case more than she is a perpetrator and once everything eventually comes to light ...when all is said and done, she's more of a victim than a perpetrator in this," said Sheets.

Yingst's fiancé, Philip Catalano, has also been charged with arson.

In Beaver County, Robert Halstead is accused of torching his mobile home after falling behind on payments. He claims he didn't do it.

"I owed them money, but like I said, I didn't do it," said Halstead.

And it's not just homes going up in flames. From 2006 to 2007, the number of recovered burned vehicles jumped by more than 600.

James Quiggle from the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud says people can't take the financial pressure.

"They've bought vehicles that they can't afford because of easy credit now, the economy is in trouble, gas prices are increasing. And they see no way out," said Quiggle.

Insurance experts said this could lead to an increase in premiums because the cost of insurance is getting too high in the Pittsburgh area.