Bond has been set for a woman accused of starting a fire in a vacant warehouse that led to the tragic death of Houston firefighter Marcelo Garcia III. First responders began honoring Garcia on Sunday morning.
The procession to escort Garcia’s body to the Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home is scheduled to begin Sunday at 9 a.m., starting from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Members of the Houston Fire Department and Houston Police Department will line the streets to pay their respects.
Garcia, 42, lost his life Wednesday evening while battling the warehouse fire on Polk Street near Wayside Drive in the Greater East End.
Yesenia Espinoza, 38, is accused of deliberately starting the fire using a red light and combustible items.
According to charging documents, investigators used facial recognition software to match Espinoza’s face from surveillance footage to a prior mugshot. The video reportedly shows her leaving the building with multiple handbags, wearing a black-and-white dress.
The fire’s intense flames are believed to have caused a wall to collapse. Garcia was pulled from the rubble but was pronounced dead at the hospital, becoming the 83rd Houston firefighter to die in the line of duty.
“This charge is the first step in a long healing process for the firefighters of this city,” said HFD Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz. He thanked the Arson Bureau, the Houston Police Department, and the METRO police for their collaboration in the investigation.
Houston City Council Member Joaquin Martinez shared that he and Garcia were close friends, having attended Milby High School together. Garcia had served with the Houston Fire Department for 10 years, spending the last six years at Station 23 on Lawndale Street.
Espinoza has been charged with first-degree arson. Her bond was set at $100,000 during a court appearance on Saturday night, and she is due back in court on Monday, Nov. 12.
Garcia’s public viewing will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home, 6900 Lawndale. His funeral service is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy.
Mayor John Whitmire has asked Houstonians and city commuters to turn on their vehicle headlights on Wednesday in honor of Garcia.
