A man is accused of setting multiple fires while his roommates were home, police say
An Allapattah man is behind bars after being accused of setting multiple fires while his roommates were home.
Armando Rabelo, 64, was arrested last week and charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of arson. On Jan. 4, fires were reported inside and outside a home on the 2000 block of Northwest 27th Street.
When Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived on the scene, firefighters determined that the the flames were intentionally set. One of Rabelo’s roommates told investigators that Rabelo had been threatening to set the house on fire since December, according to a police report.
Rabelo, the roommate told police, was drinking vodka on the porch shortly before he banged on the door and announced that he set the house ablaze.
Both roommates sprinted out of the home and grabbed garden hoses to quell the flames as they yelled at neighbors to call 911, according to a police report. Rabelo was still inside the home.
When firefighters entered the house, Rabelo refused to leave, according to a police report. He was dragged out and transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation.
Rabelo told a firefighter that he had taken 80 pills of Metformin, a diabetes medication, and fought with one of his neighbors. When Miami-Dade police tried to speak to Rabelo, he refused to be interviewed and asked for for a lawyer.
Rabelo is being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond.
