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Five rescued from 'suspicious' house fire in East Germantown

Firefighters rescued five people from a "suspicious" house fire on East Coulter Street in East Germantown.

Firefighters rescued five people from an East Germantown blaze that investigators have deemed suspicious.

Flames broke out shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday on the first floor of a home on the unit block of East Coulter Street, according to the fire department.

Emergency crews arrived to find the home's front door on fire, police said. A chair just inside the door was also ablaze, according to investigators.

Firefighters rescued four adults and one infant from a rear porch roof, according to the fire department.

They escaped by climbing into the window of a vacant house next door, police said.

The fire was placed under control about 20 minutes later.

The child and an adult female were treated for smoke inhalation at Albert Einstein Medical Center and released. No other injuries were reported.

The Fire Marshal's Office determined the blaze to be suspicious in nature, officials said. Additional information about a possible cause was not immediately available, pending further investigation.

A neighboring home has been the site of 10 recent fire-related incidents, including a Dec. 1 blaze that is being probed as a possible firebombing, according to authorities.