(CNN) Racial slurs and a swastika were found spray-painted on a garage at the scene of a house explosion in Ohio, officials said Wednesday.

Wayne County Sheriff's deputies and fire officials responded to a 911 call around 12:40 a.m. to find the home in Sterling, south of Cleveland, engulfed in flames, Sheriff Travis Hutchinson told reporters. The side of the home was blown out, the sheriff said.

Authorities believe the fire was intentionally set, he said. The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime, the sheriff said.

"There were some racial slurs and a swastika that was spray painted on (the garage)," Hutchinson said. "We're not going to tolerate that type of activity and behavior here."

An interracial couple lives in the home, according to CNN affiliate WOIO . But the house was unoccupied at the time of the explosion, the sheriff said.

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