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Gas smell, singed hair point to arson suspect

A Tampa man is quickly arrested after people see him running from a burning vacant building.

TAMPA - Attentive neighbors pointed investigators to a 23-year-old Tampa man who smelled of gasoline, had singed hair and was seen running from a burning two-story apartment building early Tuesday, according to Tampa Fire Rescue officials.

Ali Moulhem of 6401 N 47th St. in east Tampa was arrested and charged with arson Tuesday morning after he told investigators he set his cousin's vacant building on fire because he was upset with him, said fire rescue spokesman Capt. Bill Wade. Wade said Moulhem, who has no arrest history in Florida, poured several gallons of gasoline around the building and then set it afire, causing a vapor explosion that woke neighbors and caused about $85,000 in damage to the building.

"It was a significant explosion because glass from the apartment building was found across the street," Wade said. "When he lit the gasoline, it all just exploded at once. He's lucky he went to jail instead of Tampa General Hospital's burn unit."

The blaze at 6813 N Wellington Ave., a two-story apartment building in Seminole Heights, started just before 2 a.m. It took six fire engines, two ladder trucks, two rescue cars and 33 fire rescue workers from six stations more than an hour to get the fire under control.

According to a fire rescue report, crews noticed right away that the fire had started in several different locations, and they saw gasoline cans nearby.

Neighbors told investigators they heard an explosion and then saw flames shoot from the vacant building. They also said they saw a man running away, Wade said.

Police officers found Moulhem at Sligh Avenue and the Hillsborough River, about a half-mile from the fire, Wade said. An investigator with the Fire Marshal's Office interviewed Moulhem and noticed that some of Moulhem's hair was singed. The investigator also smelled gasoline on Moulhem, according to the fire rescue report.

Moulhem was arrested and charged with arson.

According to Hillsborough property records, the apartment building is owned by Northstar Systems Inc. The same group owns the property at 6401 N 47th St. where Moulhem lives, records show.

Moulhem, who according to jail records works at a carwash in New Tampa, was held without bail in the county jail.

Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler can be reached at 813 226-3373 or svansickler@sptimes.com