Arson suspect was angry and drunk, documents show

• Beatriz Fana-Ruiz, 27, is charged in Canby Park rowhome fire that killed two firefighters.
• She is the stepdaughter of Missy Napier, who lived in the home with her five children.
• Funeral services will begin Thursday night.

A 27-year-old woman told investigators she was drunk and on anxiety medication when she became angry early Saturday and set fire to the Canby Park rowhome that went up in flames, killing two Wilmington firefighters, according to court documents obtained by The News Journal.

Beatriz Fana-Ruiz is charged with two counts of first-degree murder; one count of first-degree arson; four counts of second-degree assault in the injuries of other firefighters involved; and seven counts of reckless endangerment, according to the state Fire Marshal's Office.

Fana-Ruiz is the stepdaughter of Melissa "Missy" Napier, and lived in the home with her and her five children, according to state officials.

STORY: Wilmington firefighters remembered, laid to rest Friday

The fire destroyed the rowhome and trapped firefighters in the basement of the house when the first floor collapsed. Lt. Christopher Leach and Senior Firefighter Jerry Fickes did not survive.

Senior Firefighter Ardythe Hope and Brad Speakman remain hospitalized at Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Pennsylvania. Hope remains in critical but stable condition and Speakman has been upgraded to stable condition. A photo of him posted Wednesday shows him standing in the hospital smiling with bandages on his hands, legs and head.

Three other firefighters also sustained injuries in the fire and were treated and released shortly after the blaze.

"I'm so deeply hurt by all of this my heart is with the families," a Facebook post belonging to Fana-Ruiz read Monday evening. Fana-Ruiz's Facebook said she worked for DART, but a state transportation official said she worked for FTL Janitorial – a vendor to DART.

RELATED: Progress reported for injured Wilmington firefighters

RELATED: How firefighters send fallen first responders 'home'

Fana-Ruiz moved back in with her father and stepmother's family at the beginning of the summer, said Steven Rivera, whose family has lived on Lakeview Road for 15 years. Fana-Ruiz's son lived at the home with her, he said, and was inside the house when the fire broke out.

"It's really shocking," Rivera said. "You never see these things coming."

Rivera came out of his home Saturday morning about four hours after the fire broke out to find the family standing outside, tears running down their faces. Rivera said the "vibe I got from [Fana-Ruiz] was weird."

She wasn't crying, he said, and seemed unshaken.

Gabriela Felix, another neighbor, said she couldn't believe Fana-Ruiz could do something like this. The woman she knew would always take the time to speak to people and was generally a nice person.

"I was shocked that she would do something like that because her son was in the house," Felix said. "She loved her son."

Fana-Ruiz's son suffered second-degree burns to his lower body in 2005 while in the care of Napier, who was charged in the incident according to court records. The boy, who was then 19 months old, was placed in a bathtub containing 140-degree water. Water at that temperature can create third-degree burns in less that five seconds, according to the Burn Foundation.

Napier, who pleaded guilty to a single count of endangering the welfare of a child, was ordered not to have contact with the boy during the probation period.

Others in the neighborhood declined to talk about the family or said they didn't know what happened. Most in the tight-knit neighborhood had already heard about the charges. As kids bounded off school buses, neighbors waved to familiar faces and a few exchanged words. Local and federal investigators could be seen working the scene.

For the most part, Lakeview Road was quiet as TV news crews set up to broadcast Thursday afternoon.

A total of seven people were inside the home when the fire broke out shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday, according to court documents. It's unclear what caused Fana-Ruiz to become angry, as she first told investigators she couldn't remember anything after she went into the basement.

In a later interview, she admitted to becoming angry and going downstairs to set the blaze. Investigators determined she ignited flammable or combustible material with an open flame, causing about $200,000 in damage to the home, according to court documents. Eight people were living there at the time of the fire.

Fana-Ruiz was arraigned Thursday and is being held on $6 million cash bail, $3 million of which is related to the arson charges and $3 million of which is related to the murder charges.

A first-degree murder charge was applicable for Fana-Ruiz due to Delaware law that covers first responders who lose their lives while serving due to the "reckless behavior" of an individual. The law originally only covered on-duty police officers, corrections employees and firefighters but was extended in 2009 to cover paramedics, EMTs, fire marshals and fire police officers after the death of Michelle Smith, a Delaware City firefighter who was sideswiped by a passing car and killed along U.S. 13.

Continue reading below the documents. 

Before Thursday morning, investigators released no information about the cause of the blaze. The Wilmington Fire Department turned over the investigation to the state Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives because of the loss of two of its members.

Services began for Fickes Thursday night with a viewing at Grace Lutheran Church along Graves Road in Hockessin. The viewing was scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. A second viewing is scheduled for Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. for family, friends and members of the Wilmington Fire Department. A funeral service will follow; burial is private.

A viewing for Leach begins at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Elizabeth Church on Broom Street in Wilmington. The Mass, slated for noon, is open to friends, family, the Wilmington Fire Department and local first responders. Emergency vehicles from Wilmington and Talleyville fire companies will provide escort for the funeral procession, as is typical in line-of-duty death services.

A joint memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Chase Center on the Riverfront. Thousands of first responders, officials and members of the public are expected.

Those looking to donate to the families of Leach and Fickes may so do through a GoFundMe page online titled "Official fundraiser for WFD LODD's."

Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3. Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.