Fire that killed 6 was homicide, police say

Police dogs detected an accelerant, which indicated that the fire was deliberately set.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Six people, including four children, died in a fast-moving fire in a North Philadelphia row house early Saturday, and police ruled Saturday night that it was homicide.
"We had six people murdered ... and it's a real tragedy," Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson said.
Police concluded that the fire was deliberately set after police dogs smelled an accelerant.
Two women and four children, ages 2 to 12, died in the blaze on Sixth Street near Glenwood Avenue, fire officials said.
The fire at the two-story house also spread to adjacent homes, but no other injuries were reported.
It took firefighters only three minutes to respond to the blaze around 5 a.m. but by the time they arrived, the house was engulfed in flames, Acting Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said. The blaze was brought under control in about 20 minutes, he said.
Five of the people in the house died at the scene and the sixth victim, a boy, died shortly after being rushed to Temple University Hospital, officials said.
What neighbors said
Police are continuing their investigation. Officials declined to comment about several neighbors' reports that they heard what sounded like gunshots and came outside to discover flames pouring from the house.
Investigators "are going to go through the place, they're going to look at every aspect of the home and they're going to ascertain what happened," Ayers said.
Neighbors said one of the women who died worked as a corrections officer and lived in the home with her grandchildren.
Neighbors, friends and co-workers who arrived at the scene throughout the morning huddled together and wept as officials looked for clues inside the gutted house.
One man distraught man had to be subdued by police officers.
"The heat was very intense, even for the firefighters trying to make their attempts at rescues," police Capt. Richard Ross of the homicide unit said.
"Obviously these people didn't stand a chance, it looks like."
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