A Delaware woman was sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection with starting a 2016 blaze that killed three firefighters.
Beatriz Fana-Ruiz, of Wilmington, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree arson and assault in August. KYW-TV reports. She had been living at her father's home in the city's Canby Park neighborhood in late September 2016 when the incident happened.
Fana-Ruiz admitted to being drunk on anxiety medication when she intentionally started the fire. Flames quickly spread through the house's ceiling and weakened the floor.
The first floor collapsed, sending Wilmington Fire Lt. Christopher Leach and senior firefighter Ardythe Hope falling into the basement, which also was on fire. Firefighter Jerry Fickes tried to rescue Leach from the blaze when the ceiling fatally collapsed on him.
A detainer by Immigration and Customs Enforcement also has been filed against Fana-Ruis. The federal agency seeks to deport her to the Dominican Republic, her home country, once she has been released from custody in Delaware.
