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The three-alarm blaze displaced multiple residents, they said.
On Wednesday, June 21, at 1:01 p.m., police officers, firefighters, and medical personnel responded to a structure fire in the 1500 block of Belfield Avenue.
The structure is a series of row homes that contain multiple units.
The building was occupied at the time of the fire, and as many as 10 residents were rescued by first responders, police said.
Three received treatment at the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Division.
A cooperative investigation was initiated by various agencies that included the Atlantic City police and fire departments and the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety. Investigators spoke with several witnesses who reported seeing a woman using an accelerant on several porches to start the fire, police said. Based on the information provided, investigators were able to identify the woman as Monica Parish, they said.
Investigators received assistance from the NJ Division of Fire Safety who responded and used a K9 dog trained in accelerant detection. A positive indication was shown for the presence of an accelerant in several areas.
On Thursday, June 22, an unknown individual alerted security personnel at the Atlantic County Office Building in the 1300 block of Atlantic Avenue that the individual responsible for starting the fire was in the building.
Officers Elijah Johnson and Giovanni Berardis arrived and security personnel pointed out Parish. Parish was detained and later interviewed by investigators. At the conclusion of the interview, Parish was charged with deliberately starting the fire.
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr., said, “Without hesitation, the men and women of the Atlantic City Fire Department and Atlantic City Police Department ran into that burning building and saved lives, then they were able to quickly figure out the cause."
Atlantic City Fire Chief Scott Evans said, "I’ve never seen anything like Wednesdays fire in my 36 years of service, with how quickly the flames spread and the acts of heroism demonstrated by the Atlantic City Fire Department.”
Parish was charged with aggravated arson and sent to the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
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