“I just happened to be up,” said Robyn Matthews-Lingen.

She looked outside her window around 3 a.m.on Monday to see her shed on fire. She said it was surreal.

“I could see smoke coming up from behind the shed so I just got my phone and called 911,” she said. “You’re just like, 'wow someone just set our shed on fire, that's crazy!'”

Firefighters arrived to the alley, near Jefferson Avenue and Finn Street South, within minutes and extinguished the fire.

“I was just very fortunate to have been awake at that time,” said Matthews-Lingen.

An hour and a half later, a gazebo went up in flames just a block away, as the 11th fire of the night.

“Fortunately nobody was injured and there were no fatalities,” said Deputy Chief Roy Mokosso.

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He said it takes longer for fires to be reported overnight.

“Every minute a fire doubles in size so it can quickly extend from a garbage can to a garage to a structure where people are living in and sleeping in at that time,” said Mokosso.

Near Dayton Avenue, there was another stroke of luck.

Tia Klaers' roommate got home just in time.

“And walked back [to the alley] and saw the big pile on fire and called 911 right away,” said Klaers.

She told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS they knew it was set on purpose because trash and trashcans had been piled up in the middle of the alley. The burned debris blocked the alley the next day.

“It’s just really unfortunate,” she said.

Callan Gray/KSTP

Although several people called 911 to report the fires, investigators haven't been able to talk to witnesses who saw the crimes being committed.

The fire department asks anyone with a camera that captures the time of the arson, or who has information, to call the arson tip line. The number is 1-800-723-2020.

“I hope they catch them,” said Matthews- Lingen. “I hope they can change their approach to life.”

The fires were set at: