AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man is accused of starting a fire at a house under construction in east Austin last week that spread to two nearby homes, according to an affidavit.
The Austin Fire Department responded to a fire in the 2500 block of East Fourth Street July 11 at 10:36 p.m. Crews extinguished the fire at the construction site and the outside of the nearby houses by 10:50 p.m. It said the people in those homes were able to make it out safely and weren’t hurt.
Surveillance video showed a man walking through the home under construction with something on fire at 9:54 p.m. before throwing it on the ground inside, the affidavit said. It added the man tried “to light the construction fencing on fire by holding an open flame to the fencing” at 9:59 p.m.
Neighbors also told investigators they’d had ongoing issues with people experiencing homelessness trespassing on their properties, including a man who matched the description of the suspect.
Investigators used the video to identify Aron Terrones as the suspect. He faces an arson charge and is currently listed as being in custody in the Travis County Jail as of 11 a.m. Tuesday on a $20,000 bond.
KXAN left a message with Terrones’ court-appointed attorney and will update this story when we receive a response.
According to the affidavit, the fire caused an estimated $1 million in damage.
