Father & Daughter Killed In Possible Retaliatory Arson Fire

A father and his young daughter were killed in a house fire that police believe was deliberately set.

Esam Nagi Musleh and his 1-year-old daughter Aliyah Musleh perished in the fire that engulfed their Oakland, California home around 12:14 a.m. on Saturday. Two others were also injured in the fire. Authorities believe that Musleh escaped but ran back inside the house to save Aliyah, his pregnant wife, and his disabled mother-in-law. Emergency responders located his body next to his daughters.

“The father and the child were found together,” said Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. “And so it’s really sad, but the father is a hero. He sacrificed his life.”

What makes their deaths even more tragic is the belief that the fire was part of a targeted murder, though it is unclear why someone would want to hurt him.

Musleh was an employee at a local liquor store where 25-year-old Dejoh Woods was murdered last week. The day after the shooting, another fire was set at the liquor store where Woods was killed. Authorities believe both fires are related to Woods’s death, even though Musleh nor the store owners had anything to do with the murder. A suspect in Woods murder has turned himself in, though it is unclear if he played a role in the fires or knows who did.

Musleh’s brother-in-law, Faisal Alsamma, told PEOPLE that Musleh was a giving and hardworking man.

The family says that they fear for their lives and believes the attack was meant to kill all of them.

“They tried to kill all of us. Not only [Aliyah] and her dad,” said Mohammed Alsamma, Musleh’s cousin. “We’re not feeling safe anymore around there.”