Allentown, Pennsylvania man admits setting fire that burned 7 rowhomes, trying to kill woman inside
An Allentown man is in custody after admitting he tried to stab a woman and then set fire to a home where another woman was trapped, court documents say.
Santos Mota-Ramirez, 60, is charged with two counts of attempted murder, aggravated arson and aggravated assault, documents filed in a city court show.
The fire he's accused of setting on Cedar Street affected seven homes and displaced 30 people, according to the Allentown Fire Department.
The fire grew so large that all on-duty Allentown firefighters responded to the scene. They placed it under control around 7 p.m. after several other neighboring fire departments joined in support.
Seven people — three civilians and four firefighters — were taken to the hospital. One of the civilians was listed in critical condition.
Police arrived on the scene around 4:30 p.m. responding to a domestic disturbance, according to an affidavit of probable cause. There they found a woman who appeared to have been assaulted with redness on her face and neck.
The woman told officers that Mota-Ramirez assaulted her and was inside a home on Cedar Street. Police went inside that home and found Mota-Ramirez, who was entering the kitchen from the rear of the home. Officers observed a fire that had been set behind him.
Police detained Mota-Ramirez as the fire spread through the home and would eventually spread down the block.
"They cuffed him and next thing you know, they took him away. And next thing you know, there's a fire," said Gene Brozowski.
Officers later learned that a woman who lives in the home was trapped inside in the basement. She did not have time to flee before the fire spread through the first floor and pinned her down there, according to the affidavit.
"They just dragged her out of a little window in the basement. It was really tiny. They only seen her arm and they pulled her out," said neighbor Corlesa Hamman.
Eventually, Allentown firefighters were able to rescue her from a basement window. She was hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation.
Mota-Ramirez later admitted to detectives that he was trying to stab the woman who showed signs of assault. He also admitted to lighting the building on fire, the affidavit says.
Mota-Ramirez is in the Lehigh County Jail after he did not post $750,000 bail.
