Arrest made in Iconic Village Apartment fire

After almost five years of waiting for answers to who may have caused one of the most devastating fires in San Marcos history–the arson that destroyed the Iconic Village Apartment, killing five–officials announced Wednesday that an arrest has been made. 
In a press release late Wednesday that represents  a joint announcement by the San Marcos Fire Department, the San Marcos Police Department, the Houston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Hays County District Attorney’s Office, Hays County Justice of the Peace and the Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Ranger Division, officials stated that a press conference is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at San Marcos Fire Station 5, 100 Carlson Circle, to bring the public up to date on the ongoing investigation that led to the arrest.
Officials stated no information regarding the arrest will be available until the press conference that will include representatives of each of the agencies and departments connected to the investigation. Family members of those killed in the fire are expected to attend the press conference.
The Iconic Village Apartment fire occurred in the early morning hours of  July 20, 2018. Killed in the fire were Dru Estes, 20, of San Antonio; Belinda Moats, 21, of Big Wells; Haley Michele Frizzell, 19, of San Angelo; David Angel Ortiz, 21, of Pasadena; and James Phillip Miranda, 23, of Mount Pleasant. 
Seven other individuals were injured in the fire, including Zachary Sutterfield, who sustained third-degree burns to nearly 70 percent of his body and a brain injury. Approximately 200 residents were displaced. 
It was on Nov. 30, 2018, that the San Marcos Fire Department and the ATF announced that the fire was “started intentionally and that the deaths had been ruled homicides. In October 2022, an investigative team was formed that was dedicated to solving the open investigation,” the press release stated.
A live feed of the press conference will be available for viewing on the City’s Facebook page at facebook.com/CityofSanMarcos