Photo gallery of the damage
 Councilman Joe Cimperman talks to WTAM's Greg Saber

(Cleveland) - A terrifying morning for Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman.

Cimperman was forced to escape his burning home early Monday, along with his wife and one-week-old daughter.

Neighbors called 911 around 2:30 a.m. after a fire broke out at the home on West 12th Street near Clark.

Cimperman lives in the top floor of a duplex, and was awaked by the smoke detectors. Neighbors were also throwing rocks at the windows to awaken the Cimpermans and the people who live downstairs. Everyone, including pets, got out OK. 

It didn't take long to put the fire out, but damage to the second floor is extensive.

Investigators think the blaze began on the south side of the upstairs porch. Cimperman told investigators he's never used the new grill that was housed there.

Arson investigators are calling the fire suspicious, but no cause has been determined.

Cimperman tells Newsradio WTAM 1100 that he has been receiving hate male about a recent racially motivated arson on the street.

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