A 60-year-old Allentown man is facing serious charges after a violent domestic assault led to a fire that quickly spread across several homes in the area.
Santos Mota-Ramirez has been charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, arson, and other crimes after a disturbing incident on Thursday, December 26.
The fire, which caused severe damage to six homes, began after Mota-Ramirez allegedly assaulted Nohemi Guzman-De Santos, a woman he knew, and then set the house on fire.
At about 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, police responded to a call about a domestic dispute at a home on Cedar Street. When officers arrived, they found Guzman-De Santos with visible injuries to her face and neck.
As they entered the house, they saw Mota-Ramirez leaving the kitchen with an active fire behind him.
The fire quickly spread, and police detained Mota-Ramirez as the flames continued to grow.
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In the chaos, another resident, Niovel Lopez-Gutierrez, was trapped in the basement as the fire burnt through the first floor. Firefighters rescued him, and he was taken to the hospital with burns and smoke inhalation.
The fire ultimately spread to six neighboring homes, forcing more than 30 people to evacuate. Emergency responders worked in freezing temperatures below 20°F to prevent further destruction.
According to police, Mota-Ramirez admitted he had planned to kill Guzman-De Santos and started the fire intentionally. A preliminary hearing is set for January 3, but Mota-Ramirez has not yet entered a plea.
