SYDNEY, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Four people have been hospitalized following a Sydney house fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning that police have deemed suspicious.
Police said that emergency services were called to the fire in Sydney's inner-western suburbs around 4 a.m. on Tuesday and arrived to find the home well alight.
Officers and a civilian used a ladder to rescue an elderly woman who was trapped on a balcony, and neighboring properties were also evacuated.
Crews extinguished the fire, but the home was destroyed.
Four occupants, including the elderly woman, were treated for smoke inhalation and taken to hospital.
A police statement said an investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the fire, which police have deemed suspicious.
Police Superintendent Christine McDonald told reporters that a man with his face covered was seen using an accelerant to start the fire before leaving the scene.
She said that investigators have not determined if the attack was targeted, but that the occupants of the house did not have any known criminal links. ■
