Woman jumps out of burning University Place apartment; fire investigated as arson

Detectives are investigating an early morning fire as a possible arson after a witness reported seeing someone throw a Molotov cocktail at a home in University Place.

Five people are without a home after the fire which started just after midnight Monday in the 4500 block of 76th Ave. West.

According to West Pierce Fire, the four-plex was engulfed by flames when crews arrived.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department said one person was trapped inside. As deputies worked to evacaute neighboring apartments, a woman jumped out of a second story unit. She was taken with minor injuries to a nearby hospital.

"Deputies learned that a domestic dispute had occurred inside one of the involved units earlier that night, and witnesses reported seeing someone through a molotov cocktail at the building following the verbal altercation," sheriff's officials said in a news relese. "Detectives responded to the scene and are investigating this incident as a domestic violence arson; we are working to locate the female suspect and the investigation is ongoing."

The Fire Marshal and Pierce County Sheriff's Office are investigating.