Santos Mota-Ramirez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison for charges in connection to a fire in Allentown that destroyed six rowhomes and displaced 31 people, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.
The devastating fire erupted at around 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2024, along the 700 block of Cedar Street.
According to prosecutors, Mota-Ramirez admitted to setting a rowhome at 721 Cedar Street on fire following a domestic dispute.
Mota-Ramirez also admitted to trying to stab a woman inside the home before starting the fire, prosecutors said.
The woman, who prosecutors are withholding the identity of, was found with visible redness on her face and neck at the time of the incident, prosecutors said.
An investigation found that Mota-Ramirez had poured gasoline in the basement of the home and then lit it on fire, prosecutors said.
A woman had to be rescued by firefighters from the basement and she was taken to the hospital with second-degree burns and smoke inhalation, prosecutors said.
The fire led to several other injuries to residents and firefighters, prosecutors said.
Mota-Ramirez plead guilty to arson, causing a catastrophe, two counts of attempted homicide and other related charges, prosecutors said.
A man is charged with arson and attempted murder after he allegedly intentionally started a fire that spread through multiple homes in Allentown, sending five people to the hospital and displacing several families. NBC10’s Isabel Sanchez has the details as well as video of the fire.
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