Hall County man confesses to setting his brother's mobile home on fire, deputies say

HALL COUNTY, Ga. - A 26-year-old man is accused of setting the mobile home his brother was renting on fire.

Hall County Arson Investigators say it happened Saturday night. 

The family, who was staying in the single wide mobile home, didn’t want to go on camera. 

Still, they gave FOX 5 Atlanta cameras a look inside the now burned out home they were renting. The fire caused extensive damage to the ceiling, walls and appliances.

A FOX 5 crew saw smoke damaged belongings strewn all over the floor.

The family staying there was busy salvaging what they could from the home Monday night.

Luckily, the renters weren’t home at the time of the fire.

Deputies say Moises Ramirez admitted to setting his brother's Hall County mobile home on fire.

"While [the investigator] was there conducting these witness interviews, he started to notice some things that weren't adding up and some suspicious behavior," said Lt. Cacey Henderson with the Hall County Fire Marshal’s office.

Henderson is leading the investigation. 

On Monday, Hall County deputies arrested 26-year-old Moises Ramirez for starting the fire.

Moises Ramirez (Credit: Hall County Sheriff's Office)

Henderson says they got a key piece of evidence from eyewitnesses early on.

"It was almost exclusively witness testimony that linked him to the fire. So, one of the neighbors saw him running around with the matches that were found on the back porch moments before the fire was discovered, and then leaving shortly before the fire was discovered," Henderson said. 

Henderson says until about a month ago, Moises had been living at the home with his brother’s family. 

"And then he was asked to leave the property. No one had seen him around there since, and then he just showed up," Henderson said. 

Investigators charged Ramirez with first degree arson, reckless conduct and other charges.

Henderson says Ramirez has even confessed to setting the fire. 

"He admitted to it. He told the Hall County deputies on scene when they found him," Henderson said.

Henderson says Ramirez’ motive is still under investigation. 

He says without that witness testimony, the investigation would’ve taken much, much longer.

"Normally, it's a long, drawn out investigation where we take multiple samples and interview multiple people. And fortunately in this case, due to the neighbors' assistance, we were able to track down Moises pretty quickly and find him, and he admitted to starting the fire," Henderson said. 

He hopes this will encourage others to come forward when they need help with an investigation.

"Having people come forward and give us that information, it makes or breaks the case," Henderson said.

Henderson also says there is some incentive for coming forward with information.

People who provide evidence that leads to a conviction in an arson case can be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000 from Georgia Arson Control.