Guilty Plea from Woman Who Set Fire that Killed 3 Wilmington Firefighters in 2016

The woman who lived in the home at Canby Estates in Elsmere where a fire left three Wilmington Firefighters dead has pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder, 1st degree arson and 1st degree assault. Beatriz Fana-Ruiz will be sentenced in December. Officials in the Attorney General’s office say Fana-Ruiz recklessly started the fire in the basement – in reaction to her living conditions – not to harm anyone. However her actions were reckless, dangerous and tragic – leading to the deaths of Jerry Fickes, Jr., Ardythe Hope and Christopher Leach.

Officials add that Immigration officials have also filed a detainer against Fana-Ruiz – seeking her deportation to her home country of the Dominican Republic when released from custody in Delaware. The defendant’s guilty plea completes the criminal prosecution that will allow those affected to close this chapter of the tragedy that began on September 24, 2016.