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Video shows woman setting fire at backdoor of East Mount Airy daycare
Neighbors in an East Mount Airy neighborhood are shaken after surveillance video allegedly shows an unidentified woman starting a fire at the backdoor of a local day care center.
PHILADELPHIA - Neighbors in an East Mount Airy neighborhood are shaken after surveillance video allegedly shows an unidentified woman starting a fire at the backdoor of a local daycare center.
What we know:
Video shows the suspect, a woman police estimated to be in her 20s or 30s, approaching the backside of a daycare on Williams Avenue at around 7 p.m. on September 21 and starting a fire at the foot of a backdoor.
The suspect is seen squirting some type of accelerant onto the fire, walking away for a moment, and returning to pour some more of the substance onto the flames. The woman then waits for a car to drive by before calmly walking away from the building.
FOX 29's Dylan Scott reports the Philadelphia Fire Department was able to quickly extinguish the fire before it grew. The daycare was closed when the suspected arson took place, and neighbors in abutting properties were not injured.
Neighbors say the woman returned on at least one other occasion days later and set another small fire at a pole near an A/C unit. The only remnants of the fires are small char marks on the door and pole.
What they're saying:
While no one was hurt and the fire was quickly extinguished, neighbors are on edge about the a possible arsonist at large.
"It's very concerning, it's scary, we're dealing with people's children," one neighbor said. "We're here to protect the children, and at the same time, we want them to be able to come out and have fun, and we want them to be safe."
What you can do:
Police are asking anyone who recognizes the suspect to reach out to detective immediately.
The Source: Information provided by FOX 29 reporter Dylan Scott.