LISBON — A Salem woman, serving 12 years in prison for starting a fire that put multiple Salem apartment building tenants at risk and injured two city firefighters last year on East Sixth Street, is appealing her sentence to the Seventh District Court of Appeals. 

Defense attorney Joe King filed a Notice of Appeal in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court on Friday on behalf of Alicia Craig, 34, East State Street. 

Craig was served a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury last year for two counts of first-degree felony arson for the May 2, 2024 fire, and she was convicted by a jury earlier this month after two-day trial.

Judge Scott Washam followed the prosecution recommendation of consecutive sentences of six years for each count. He also ordered Craig to register as an arson offender, a requirement she must follow for the rest of her life.

She could have faced a possible maximum sentence of 11 years for each term for a total of 22 years, according to county Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Weeda. She received credit for 29 days already served in jail. He added that she could have faced separate counts for every tenant who was in the apartment building at the time of the fire.

Weeda said she knowingly created a substantial risk of harm to first responders when she started the fire. Two fire fighters were injured battling the blaze.  One suffered minor burns after his turnout coat began to smolder, forcing him to bail out of the structure to be extinguished. Another injured his knee during the overhaul process after the fire was out.

 All residents were able to exit without injury when alerted by smoke detectors and were out of the building prior to the Salem Fire Department arriving.

Craig testified that there was no sign of fire when she left the area.