Officials seek leads after suspicious fires in Folcroft

Authorities are investigating a suspicious fire that occurred at a home on the 900 block of Delview Drive in Folcroft on Monday morning. Another fire was reported nearby on Taylor Drive. (Times staff / ERIC HARTLINE)

FOLCROFT -- Some people are glad the Eagles had a Sunday night game this week.

If not for that, they might not have been awake when two fires about two blocks apart burned two row houses in Folcroft -- one in the 900 block of Delview Drive and the other in the 700 block of Taylor Drive between 12:15 and 1 a.m. Monday morning. It appears each fire began in a car that was parked under a deck behind the row houses. Folcroft Police Chief Robert Ruskowski said both fires are considered suspicious and are still under investigation.

The first fire was noticed at about 12:15 a.m., just after the Eagles had defeated the visiting New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. Luckily, many people in the neighborhood were still awake when the fire started on Delview Drive.

"I saw flames coming from the car under the deck," said Erich Mlinari, a neighbor whose property sits adjacent to the back of the row houses on Delview Drive. "After the propane tank (for the grill on the deck) went, there were several explosions."

Mlinari said he thought the fire started in the car based on what he heard.

"I heard a loud smash, like someone was breaking some glass, then I heard the explosion," he said. "It was a smash then the explosion, real quick."

While the burned deck was still standing late Monday morning, the car had been taken away. According to neighbors the four-door sedan had been backed into the parking space under the deck, which would leave the gas tank closer to the building. Also, there was shattered glass on the ground under and around the deck.

Fortunately for the rest of the neighbors, Mike Rubillo, who lives just a few doors down from where the fire started, was awake. He is a firefighter in Tinicum Township and grabbed his garden hose to try and keep the flames from spreading.

"It went up like a fireball," Rubillo said. "It was burning for a good while. It was chaos around here for a while."

Another neighbor who lives on Delview believes the fire was of a suspicious nature. She was awakened by the explosions and then saw what looked to be two males wearing black running away from the building, jumping fences and escaping through backyards.

According to Rubillo, the Folcroft, Sharon Hill and Glenolden fire departments responded to the call on Delview Drive.

There were no injuries reported in the fires.

"It's a good thing the Eagles were playing and people were still up," Rubillo said.

At the home on Delview, a woman was reportedly returning to that home from the Eagles game when she saw the flames. Her daughter, 3-year-old granddaughter and boyfriend were inside getting ready to go to bed when the fire broke out. It was also reported that a male escaped the fire on Taylor Drive without injury. Both vehicles were removed for investigation by the police. Pennsylvania State Police are also assisting with the investigation.

This is not the first case of suspicious fires being started in Folcroft this year. The borough, which has a population of about 6,800, had several incidents of lawn fires early last spring, which were ruled arsons, resulting in several arrests, including some juveniles.

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