firefighters smelled gasoline as soon as they got out of their trucks. so a call immediately went out to stow police detective ken mifflin. >> when i got there, i saw the fire department still putting out the blaze. someone had taken probably a pipe wrench to disconnect the gas line. and it was blowing out natural gas. it was a very large roaring sound. >> at that point, the gas hadn't ignited? >> no. it could have possibly blown up. the person who said to the fire poured gasoline all the way to the gas meter and on top of the gas meter. >> the idea was fire starts, the gasoline goes to the gas main, and possibly destroys the house, and everybody in it? >> absolutely. >> mifflin found the purk family sheltered at a neighbor's house, and asked the father, scott purk, to step outside. >> we actually went over to my unmarked detective bureau car, and we sat in my car, where it