2 injured after suspicious East Mt. Airy fire

EAST MT. AIRY (WPVI) -- Police are investigating a suspicious fire that injured two people at an apartment building in the East Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia.

Fire alarms awakened residents around 2:20 a.m. Sunday, but flames in the first and third floor hallways trapped many inside their apartments on the 7400 block of Stenton Avenue.

A 56-year-old man was taken to Temple University Hospital with 2nd degree burns and smoke inhalation and a 61-year-old woman was taken to Einstein Medical Center with smoke inhalation.

Both are expected to survive but it was a harrowing wake-up call.

"It was terrible. The alarm went off. The hallways were very dark and filled with smoke," resident Elisha McDowell said.

Firefighters had to rescue Tiffany Smith and her children, helping them climb down a ladder from their third floor balcony.

"My experience was horrible. I woke up. There were flames coming through the bottom of my door. I had to rescue my children, try to grab shoes, it was just chaotic," said Smith.

Crews were on the scene within five minutes of getting their first call and the fire was under control within an hour.

However the investigation is continuing, as the cause appears to be suspicious.

"There was a strong odor of gasoline. Plus, there were two separate fires, one on the first floor and one on the third floor, that's kind of indicates it's suspicious in nature," said Philadelphia Fire Deputy Chief Eric Fleming.

Earlier, fire officials said that police were interviewing a suspect in connection with this fire, but Northwest Detectives tell Action News they do not have a suspect and the investigation is continuing.

Neighbors believe this was a case of arson and that a specific resident was the target.

They say in recent weeks there has been suspicious activity at the complex, including multiple false fire alarms.

As for Sunday's fire, the Red Cross was on the scene to help displaced residents whose apartments sustained smoke and water damage.

A family of three will recover at the Red Cross House.

The Red Cross says several cats, three turtles and a tortoise were able to be rescued. However, one cat passed away in the fire.