Man arrested for setting Pasadena house of fire, killing cat and displacing family of six

A man has been arrested for setting fire to a Pasadena home, displacing a family of six and killing their pet cat earlier this week. 

Nassan Majano says that the fire was so hot he couldn't get anywhere near his home on Wednesday afternoon, when the blaze erupted. 

"The flames were high, it was extremely hot," Majano said. "I couldn't even approach the door at all."

While they're thankful that nobody was home when the fire was started, their family cat named Oreo was unable to escape.

"It was really hard hearing she didn't make it," said Mitzi Majano.

After the fire was finally extinguished, police arrested Luis Montellano, a 42-year-old homeless man who is accused of breaking into the home before igniting the blaze. Neighbors called them after seeing the man running from the area. 

Lisa Derderian, a spokesperson for the city of Pasadena, says that investigators discovered singed hair from the fire and accelerants that were used in the process of setting the fire. 

Montellano has been booked for two arson charges and is being held on $250,000 bail. 

"You know what? I have no bad feelings for him," Mitzi said, holding back tears. "I forgive him for what he did."

The Majano family, who own and operate a popular food coffee truck, spend much of their free time volunteering at a food bank, which plays a factor in their willingness to forgive Montellano. They say that more should be done to help the homeless community to prevent crimes like this. 

In the meantime, their neighbors have come together, starting an online fundraising campaign to help them recover from the tragedy. It can be found by searching for the keywords: "Help the Majano Family Rebuild After Fire."

"My community has been great," Mitzi said. "I love everyone, and I will forever be grateful."

As they continue to try and salvage what they can from the destructive fire, they're hopeful that some family keepsakes that were taken can be returned after noticing that swimming metals belonging to their 13-year-old son Hady were taken. 

"I don't know why they would even take it. It means nothing to them," Nassan said. 

On top of this, the parents say that the tragedy has hit their 11-year-old daughter Mina especially hard, as she's set to start middle school in the coming weeks. 

"She's having a hard time. She's having a really, really hard time," Mitzi said. 

Derderian told Pasadena Star News that damages to the home are estimated to be around $300,000.