Arson Fire Kills 4; 1 Victim Had Stayed Back to Warn Others

An arson fire swept through a two-story apartment house in Long Beach, killing a woman and her two little girls as well as a man who stayed in the building to help other residents escape, police said Thursday.

Sgt. Jim Ryals said an arsonist torched the 16-unit structure in the 1300 block of Patterson Avenue after splashing the building with a flammable liquid at several locations late Wednesday night.

Most residents escaped by crawling or jumping out of windows, fire officials said, with some parents throwing their babies into their neighbors’ waiting arms.

The four victims were burned to death after being trapped in hallways as they tried to escape through a doorway blocked by security bars. Some of the more than 50 residents eventually got out through the door after firefighters pried it open.

3 Bodies Found in Hallway

Firemen battled the flames for about an hour before sifting through the debris and finding the bodies of Domitilia Diaz Castellano, 27, and her two daughters, Erika, 3, and Esmeralda, 8, lying together in a second-floor hallway.

The body of the fourth victim, Raul Navarro, 25, was found in a downstairs hall.

Ryals said Navarro, who worked as a cleaning man at a nearby convenience store, was caught by the flames and killed after “knocking on everyone’s door, warning them of the fire.”

Castellano’s 6-year-old son, Saul, got out of the building but suffered serious burns over 50% of his body. He was listed in critical condition at County-USC Medical Center.

Ryals said police had no suspects and no idea what the motive was for setting the deadly blaze a few minutes before midnight.

“At this point we are investigating four homicides and one attempted murder,” he added.

The Red Cross found shelter for some of the survivors at a nearby high school, while other residents were taken in by relatives and friends.