KIDS HURT BY GAS BOMB; FIRE IGNITES APARTMENT.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

A 10-year-old boy and his 9-year-old sister were badly burned Monday in a fire started when someone hurled a Molotov cocktail through the bedroom window of their apartment, officials said.

Arson investigators were searching for at least one man they believe threw the incendiary bomb into the Woodman Avenue apartment shortly after 1 a.m., injuring the children and two adults.

Firefighters said the fire might have ended in death if not for the heroism of two neighbors, including Wally Hernandez, who caught 9-year-old Aya Moshe in his arms after she jumped from her second-floor window.

``When your adrenalin is rushing and you hear little kids screaming, your mind blanks and you just want to get them out as soon as possible,'' said Hernandez, 25, a security guard.

Aya's brother, Yoram ``Raffi'' Moshe suffered smoke inhalation and second-degree burns over about 11 percent of his body and was in critical condition at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center, said spokeswoman Adelaida De La Cerda.

Aya was listed in fair condition at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles where she was treated for first- and second-degree burns over her hands and arms, said hospital spokesman Steve Rutledge.

The two neighbors, dubbed heroes, were treated for minor injuries and released. Los Angeles city Fire Department spokesman Capt. Steve Ruda praised the men for rescuing the children.

``They would have died, there's no doubt in mind,'' said Ruda.

The second heroic neighbor, Tal Shlomy, lives directly across from the Moshe family and rushed into the three-bedroom apartment after hearing the screams of Yoram's mother, who was uninjured.

After leading the mother out, Shlomy returned to the hallway and found Yoram with the back of his shirt on fire. According to Shlomy, he rubbed the fire out with his bare hands and carried the boy to safety.

``It's scary, the flames and everything, but you do what you have to do,'' said Shlomy, 25. ``I love these children; I'd do anything for them.''

Even after seeing Yoram to safety, Shlomy returned to the burning bedroom looking for Aya, unaware that another neighbor had come to her rescue.

That neighbor, Hernandez, was in his dining room when he heard a window shatter. Rushing outside, he saw smoke billowing out of an apartment, so he ran to the back of the complex where Aya was perched on her windowsill, too frightened to jump.

Hernandez and two other neighbors urged her to jump, which finally she did, right into Hernandez's open arms 15 feet below.

``When I caught her I felt the intense heat on her, and I couldn't see her face, it was all black,'' said Hernandez, who said he didn't think twice about helping the child.

Hernandez received six stitches for a cut on his arm he sustained after breaking the apartment's sliding glass door as he searched for more victims.

Witnesses described the suspect's vehicle as a two-door Nissan Sedan, either blue or black, said Ruda, who said the arson had not been classified as a hate crime as of Monday.

The fire was extinguished in about 10 minutes, Ruda said. Anyone with information about the suspects can call the fire arson line at [phone] or after hours at [phone].

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4 Photos

Photo: (1) Momi Alfasi, left, a friend of the victims; and Tal Shlomy, who saved a child who was trapped and burned, stand near the apartment that caught fire Sunday night.

(2--4) Wally Hernandez, left, stands outside the second-story window where he helped save a little girl. Yoram ``Raffi'' Moshe, above, was inside his apartment when it caught fire. Above right, Aya Moshe, seen in family photos, was also inside the apartment as the fire broke out.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News