NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Fire Marshals arrested a man that was caught on video setting multiple fires inside his Queens restaurant, officials announced Sunday night.
Asif Raja, 54, allegedly used a flammable liquid to set multiple fires inside the Ignited Restaurant & Lounge on Steinway Street restaurant in Astoria on Aug. 4, 2020, amid the pandemic, FDNY Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said.
In a surveillance video released by the FDNY, Raja, who owns the restaurant -lounge, is seen climbing a ladder and lighting a fire on the ceiling.
He is then seen pouring the flammable liquid on tables and chairs before setting them on fire.
He is also seen exiting the restaurant after the incident.
At around 10:15 p.m., firefighters responded to a report of a "gas odor" inside the restaurant.
The restaurant's sprinkler activation system had already extinguished the small fires throughout the restaurant, FDNY officials said.
No firefighters or civilians were injured in the flames but fire marshals deemed the fire as suspicious.
Following an extensive investigation by the FDNY and the Strategic Explosive and Arson Response Task Force of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Raja was later arrested and charged with one count of arson.
"We are extremely grateful that no one was injured during this incident and for the collaboration between all the law enforcement agencies involved in bringing this individual to justice," said FDNY commissioner Nigro said in a statement. "This arrest demonstrates the strategic value of this Joint Task Force and their ability to hold those that purposely set fires in this city accountable."
FDNY sources told the New York Post, said Raja is believed to have started the fires over the financial strain caused by the pandemic.
If convicted, he could spend between five and 20 years in federal prison.
