Suspect wanted for arson at Veterans Village in Frankford; donations being collected

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A fire in the hallway of Veterans Village in Philadelphia's Frankford neighborhood forced veterans to run for their lives on December 28, 2024.

"We just thought it was another false alarm," recalled Rubin Rios.

The nonprofit, Veterans Villages, created this development to provide safe and affordable housing for veterans who are transitioning to civilian life or experienced homelessness, addiction, PTSD and other hardships.

Rios, who served in the Navy for over 20 years, was one of them.

"Extremely uncomfortable," said Rios. "Like most of us here, we are retired military. We're veterans here. Most people, whether you're a veteran or not, you want to go someplace you feel safe, comfortable."

The fire marshal declared the incident on Duffield Street an arson.

Philadelphia police have an arrest warrant for the suspect who intentionally set a garbage can on fire outside a resident's door.

Meanwhile, the veterans are recovering and rebuilding, but also fear it will happen again.

"We want to live in a safe community like anyone else. We did our time," said Rios.

The veterans range in age from 30 to 82 years old.

"We've put a lot of money, blood, sweat and tears into building this safe haven for our veterans, and to have someone so callously just walk in off the street with no care for human life," said Dana Spain who is the president of the nonprofit's board of directors. "Thankfully, no one was injured."

Spain developed this complex in honor of her late father, Bernard Spain, who was an Army veteran.

Spain said although they were able to extinguish the flames, there is significant water damage in 23 of the 47 units, which is expected to cost about $150,000.

Some vets were also displaced for a few days, while others lost personal items.

"I feel terrible for the residents because they come to us, sometimes for the first time in decades, having safe respectable housing," said Spain. "All they want to have is a place to call home and this really disrupted their lives."

As they piece their village back together, Spain said they could use the community's help - whether it's donations, builders or volunteers.

"These are our veterans who have served for our freedom and they deserve our support, especially in a time of crisis," said Spain.

Spain said now the complex has a security guard and they plan to install more cameras.

For more information on how you can help or to contact Spain, visit veteransvillages.org.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to contact the Northeast Detectives division.