Fire investigators believe that arsonists were responsible for burning five parked, unattended cars on Wissinoming streets early Sunday.
Philadelphia police, then firefighters, were called to the 5700 block of Cottage St. at 4:12 a.m. after receiving 911 calls about several flaming vehicles. Then they discovered a fifth burning vehicle around the corner on the 1900 block of Cheltenham Ave.
The flames were declared under control at 4:26 a.m., said Capt. Jeffrey Thompson, a fire department spokesman. The damaged vehicles included a Honda Civic, a Toyota Corolla and a Dodge Caravan, in addition to two other unspecified cars.
The fire marshal continues to investigate the specific cause of the fire, but police detectives have picked up the case because of the suspicious circumstances.
No injuries were reported. Authorities have released no information about suspects.
Call Northeast Detectives at 215–686–3153 to report information about the case. ••
