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Ronal Ordonez-Lima, 28, is accused of setting fire to the front porch of 221 Rusling St. in Trenton shortly before 3:30 a.m., Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said Monday.
Six occupants were in the home during the fire, which spread to five other houses and several adjacent vehicles, Onofri said.
Two men, identified as Selvin Lima and Dilman Canpos, were found deceased on the second floor of the home, authorities said.
Ordonez-Lima is charged with two counts each of murder, felony murder and attempted murder, as well as one count of aggravated arson and five counts of arson.
Ordonez-Lima was taken to the Mercer County Correction Center, where a motion has been filed to keep him detained pending a trial.
Meanwhile, nearly $3,000 had been raised on a GoFundMe started for one of the displaced families, which include four young children.
“The men stood there for about 3 minutes and watched the home ingulf in flames before leaving the scene,” reads the fundraiser, launched by Gia Fonseca.
“…this family needs more assistance. Please help us by sharing this post or donating, if you can.”
Mayor of Trenton Reed Gusciora shared his condolences in a social media post as well:
"God bless the families in their time of need," Gusciora writes. "Thanks to Trenton Ladder Companies coming out to scene, EMS, Trenton PD, and County Fire officials."
Click here to view/donate to ‘Christmas Day Fire in Trenton, NJ’ on GoFundMe.
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