by DOUG AUER
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
A West Brighton home was gutted by a suspicious blaze last night after multiple fires were apparently set inside the unoccupied, two-family home.
Firefighters arriving at the scene around 9:20 p.m. discovered heavy fire on the second floor of 22 South St., according to Deputy Chief Richard Howe of Division 8.
Inside the off-white, stucco structure, firefighters found four separate fires, some of them on the first floor, Howe added.
"I smelled smoke, called 911 and looked out my window to see flames on the other side," said a neighbor who declined to be identified.
Firefighters smashed out windows and cut holes in the roof of the building -- measuring 60 feet by 40 feet -- in order to ventilate the thick smoke.
Many residents recalled that the occupants of the home had recently moved to a nearby address, leaving the building empty. The former occupants could not be reached for comment.
The fire was brought under control at 10:04 p.m. and fire marshals responded to the scene to investigate.
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