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5 People Injured in Suspicious Brooklyn House Fire, FDNY Says

By  Trevor Kapp and Aidan Gardiner | September 3, 2015 8:17am 

 More than 160 firefighters battled the Glenwood Road blaze, the FDNY said.
More than 160 firefighters battled the Glenwood Road blaze, the FDNY said.
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DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp

BROOKLYN — Five people were injured Thursday morning when a suspicious fire engulfed a Flatbush home, FDNY officials said.

The fire erupted at 1312 Glenwood Rd., near Argyle Road, at 4:42 a.m. and swept through the three-story home, officials said.

"I looked out the window and there was fire on the front porch. It was getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I got out," said next-door neighbor Roberto Lorenzutti, 68.

"The family (inside) left the house and made it out. The firefighters took out a cat from the second floor," said Lorenzutti, who added that the feline appeared to be fine.

Flames surged as firefighters started their work on the blazing home, which neighbors said had recently been remodeled.

"[Firefighters] arrived in three minutes to a wall of fire. The whole front of this building was in flames," said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro at the scene of the blaze.

"The fire met them right on the front porch. The firefighters had to push in."

Five people were treated for minor injuries at Kings County Hospital, officials said.

About 168 firefighters responded and brought the blaze under control about 7 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said.

Some buildings nearby were scorched as well, the spokesman said.

Investigators do not yet know what sparked the fire, but believe it to be suspicious.

"The fire started at the front of the building, possibly on the front porch," Nigro said.

"It is certainly suspicious. We've been told that there was a similar fire somewhere in the neighborhood—this large body of fire with no apparent cause. We would have to look into it. But at this time, it's just suspicious."