By Jill Harmacinski
The Eagle-Tribune
LAWRENCE, Mass. — A city man believed to have set 10 fires in March, including one igniting a homeless man’s tent, will remain behind bars until at least the end of next month.
Luciano Ramirez, 30, who is facing 10 charges of burning a dwelling or burning personal property, was indicted by the Essex County grand jury and arraigned Monday morning in Salem Superior Court.
Due to his indictment, the penalties Ramirez now faces at the superior cgourt level if he is convicted will be more severe.
He was ordered held without bail Monday pending a hearing on July 26 to determine if he is a danger to himself or the community at large.
Ramirez, of 108 Bunkerhill St., was charged after eight fires broke out early on the morning of March 18.
The blazes were a string of fires that occurred within 90 minutes, including car, trash and dumpster fires and a fire in a mill building.
Reports of the fires started at 2:53 a.m. with a couch burning behind Ramirez’s address on Bunkerhill Street and continued until 4:16 a.m. with a single-alarm blaze in a 6-story mill building at 3 Broadway.
All of the fires were quickly extinguished, and no injuries were reported.
Police and fire investigators used a variety of surveillance video to identify and charge Ramirez just 36 hours after the fires occured.
In one surveillance video, Ramirez is seen opening a lid and leaning into a dumpster.
“He then held the lid open until open flame was observed coming from the dumpster,” wrote State Police Sgt. Donald Bossi in a criminal complaint.
Ramirez was later charged with two additional fires, including burning the homeless man’s tent.
Since his initial arrest and arraignment in March, Ramirez has been held without bail.
This spring, he was scheduled for a dangerousness hearing in Lawrence District Court.
His defense attorney, Michael Seddon, did not object to the prosecution’s request to keep Ramirez held without bail, however.
___
(c)2016 The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.)