The two-alarm fire was reported at 11:00 a.m. in an apartment building in the 5500 block of Haverford Avenue.
The flames started on the third floor and some residents believe it may have been set following an argument between two men that started Tuesday night.
"The guy came back today, they fought again. And I heard him say, 'I got you.' A couple of minutes later the building was on fire," said Sonya Easley
In fact police are questioning a person of interest in connection with the fire that displaced at least 60 people.
"I lost everything," one woman told Action News.
She is not alone. The Red Cross set up an assistance center at the Shepard Recreation Center at 57th and Haverford.
"We immediately rushed from the building. And as you can see, everything is totally ruined," said Patricia Smith.
"I saw my bathroom floor melt. That's when I ran out of my house and went and knocked on my neighbor's door and told people there was a fire," said resident Trina Jenkins.
Fortunately everyone got out of the building unharmed. But residents say it's not because they were alerted by fire alarms. The alarms were apparently not working.
"I smelled smoke, came in the house, pulled the fire alarm. The fire alarm was not working. No smoke alarms were going off, nothing," said Clarence Simmons.
Assistant Building Manager Brenda Murray told Action News this may because people are "pulling the fire alarms constantly, breaking them."
No residents will be allowed back inside the building as long as the investigation by the Philadelphia Fire Department and Philadelphia Police continues.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross will continue to assist the 30 displaced families.
