Inset: Natasha Teague (Philadelphia police). Background: Philadelphia firefighters battle a blaze on the 3600 block of Percy Street in Philadelphia (WCAU).
A 38-year-old Pennsylvania woman allegedly set fire to a home that quickly spread to other houses on the row, killing one man and displacing nearly 30 people.
Natasha Teague stands accused of murder and arson in the death of 69-year-old Barry Turner, Philadelphia police said in a press release. She also faces 12 counts each of causing a catastrophe and recklessly endangering another person.
Emergency crews responded around 1 p.m. Monday to a report of people trapped in a burning home on the 3600 block of Percy Street on the City of Brotherly Love”s north side. Fire was shooting through the roofs of several connected row houses when firefighters arrived on the scene. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and found Turner’s body about an hour later.
An investigation determined the fire was arson. Cops arrested Teague on Tuesday.
Resident Jeff Melvin told local ABC affiliate WPVI that he heard Turner’s calls for help.
“I’m trying, hear him hollering, I’m trying. Couldn’t get to him though,” he said.
Melvin said the fire was spreading too quickly for anyone to run inside.
“I tried to save him. Once we kicked the door in, the fire ran us back out,” he told the outlet.
He said there was another disturbance a few hours before the fire.
“I didn’t see it, we heard it. Boom, boom, boom. Banging on doors. They say she threw a firebomb at 5 o’clock in the morning. That’s why they called the police,” Melvin said, per WPVI.
Teague has allegedly been a problem in the neighborhood for years.
“She’s had too many chances. Every time they come around, they let her go. She kept pushing her limits. Now someone lost their life, a lot of people lose their home,” Talbert Lawton told the TV station.
Teague remains in jail on a $300,000 bond. Her next court date is set for July 14.
