Raul Garcia is charged with felony arson in connection to the fire that broke out around 9:15pm Wednesday at a historic home in the 2300 block of Wheeler near downtown Houston.
"Him and a guy named Dave got into an argument. He went downstairs and lit it on fire and ran out screaming, 'Fire! Fire!' And the next thing I know, it was going up in flames," displaced resident Felicia Thompson said. "He don't seem like he really cared. He was trying to get Dave back and destroyed our lives in the process."
The Houston Fire Department says Garcia admitted to investigators that he burned the home because he was angry at residents for telling him to leave.
Authorities say the fire reached two alarms before firefighters brought it under control.
There were several people inside when the fire started. They made it out safely, but one person had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Two firefighters were injured battling the blaze. One firefighter was bruised by a wall that had collapsed. He was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital but we're told he should be OK. The other suffered an electric shock. We're told he's also expected to be OK.
Garcia has a lengthy arrest record, including burglary, theft and criminal trespass.
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