Arlington Apartment Arson That Forced Window Escapes Leads To Prison Sentences

ARLINGTON, VA — Three men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a May 2025 apartment building arson in Arlington’s Douglas Park neighborhood that forced residents to escape through windows and displaced multiple households, according to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.

Marvin Hernandez Lopez received five years of incarceration, while Wilmer Agustin de Leon and Erasbiel Flores each received two years, the office said in an Oct. 27 release.

Several residents were taken to local hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation after the May 15, 2025, fire at 1020 S. Quebec St., according to prosecutors.

Gasoline-Filled Cup Ignited In Stairwell

At approximately 4:20 a.m., the three men went to an Arlington County 7-Eleven, purchased a Big Gulp cup and filled it with gasoline from a pump, prosecutors said.

Hernandez Lopez allegedly had a dispute with someone he believed lived at the apartment building after paying that person for a firearm that was never delivered, according to the release.

RELATED: Teen Admits To Setting Fire In Douglas Park Stairwell: Report

The men then walked approximately a mile to the building. During the walk, Hernandez Lopez discussed wanting to intimidate the person, prosecutors said. Once there, he took the gasoline-filled cup into an interior stairwell and ignited it.

Residents fled their homes, with some escaping through second-floor windows to avoid smoke and flames, according to the release.

Patch previously reported that Hernandez Lopez admitted to police that he and others filled a 7-Eleven cup with gasoline and that he set it on fire in the stairwell.

Sentences Include Probation And Treatment

Hernandez Lopez was sentenced July 17 to five years of incarceration followed by five years of supervised probation.

Agustin de Leon was sentenced Sept. 4, and Flores was sentenced Oct. 23. Each received two years of incarceration followed by three years of supervised probation.

All three sentences also included mental health and substance use treatment and restitution, according to the prosecutor’s office.

“Arson is an inherently dangerous crime that places lives at risk far beyond the individuals involved in an underlying dispute,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti said in the release.

Dehghani-Tafti said no lives were lost and credited first responders with protecting residents.