Rochester, N.Y. — Investigators are working to determine whether a fire that killed a woman in her 70s on the city's west side Friday morning was set on purpose.
The home on Hancock Street, which included nine apartments, has been torn down, but investigators are trying to figure out whether an earlier domestic incident at the same address is tied to the fire.
Neighbor Simon Moody and his wife were awakened by sirens early Friday morning. They looked outside to see the home behind them in flames.
"You can see the flames bursting through the roof. It almost looks like a movie scene," he said. "It was just hard to believe it was coming from there."
Police said the initial call was for a domestic dispute around 4 a.m., followed by a report of a fire.
When first responders arrived on scene, the house was fully engulfed.
The fire was horrendous, it looked to me," neighbor Charles Haywood said. "Flames were just pouring out of it. That was something that I haven't seen in a while, a fire that large."
Police said the woman who died became trapped in her apartment on the third floor. Firefighters were unable to reach her because of the heavy smoke, flames and damage to the structure of the building.
Police said they don't believe the victim was connected to the earlier domestic dispute.
"It's no different than any other suspicious death, said Rochester Police Captain Frank Umbrino. "Until we know what it is, we're going to treat it as a crime scene and go from there."
Two people were treated for smoke inhalation and a firefighter was treated for burns. They are all expected to be OK.
Anybody with information is asked to call 911, the Rochester Police Department Major Crimes Unit at 428-7157 or Crime Stoppers at 423-9300. Tips can also be emailed to MajorCrimes@cityofrochester.gov.