Man drank beer and watched blaze after ‘setting house fire’ that killed four

A man accused of setting a house fire that killed four people – including a three-year-old girl – allegedly sat nearby drinking beer as he watched the deadly blaze unfold. Roman Almatitla, 38, has been charged with arson, murder and assault after the inferno ripped through a three-storey apartment building in Flushing, New York, in March.

Prosecutors claim Almatitla had just lost his job and wanted an outlet for his anger. They also said he had “no particular reason” to be at the three-storey building that day. According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, he entered the building several times before heading to a gas station across the road, where he allegedly bought one beer, stole another and asked the cashier to borrow a lighter. When he was told he could not have one, prosecutors said he “settled for a packet of matches”.

Almatitla allegedly returned to the property, followed a woman inside when she opened the door and lit a piece of paper before dropping it into a bin near the exit leading to the second and third floors.

The ground floor of the building was being used as a commercial unit, while the upper floors were residential apartments.

Officials said Chengri Cui, 49, Shin Chie Ming, 61, and a three-year-old girl died at the scene from smoke inhalation.

Hong Zhao, 64, suffered brain trauma and multiple broken bones after jumping from a window in a desperate attempt to escape the flames. He later died in hospital.

Nearly half a dozen other residents were also forced to leap from windows to survive, while two firefighters responding to the blaze had to be rescued after a staircase collapsed inside the building.

One witness told WNBC they saw two people jump from the second floor, with one woman screaming: “My baby, my baby.”

Authorities said the property had racked up more than 50 violations from the Department of Buildings since 2020.

Inspectors also uncovered an illegal gambling business operating on the ground floor in 2023, which led to a $23,000 fine.

The latest violation, described as a “failure to maintain”, was issued in January after investigators found extension cables running from the first to the third floor.