The manager of the Oakland, California, warehouse known as Ghost Ship grew visibly upset on live TV on Tuesday morning, as he repeatedly refused to answer questions about the fire that destroyed the building and killed at least 36 people this past weekend.

Im not going to answer these questions on this level, Derick Ion Almena told Today show hosts Matt Lauer and Tamron Hall when asked whom the families of the victims should hold responsible. I would rather get on the floor and be trampled by the parents. Id rather let them tear at my flesh than answer these ridiculous questions.

Almena rented living space to artists in Ghost Ship, although the warehouse was not coded for residential use. Several tenants told The Associated Press that they had complained about hazardous living conditions but that Almena did nothing to address them.

When pressed by Lauer about those prior complaints, Almena dodged the question, instead rambling on about his dream of an artistic community.

I laid my body down there every night. We laid our bodies down there. We put our children to bed there every night, he said. We made music. We created art.