Iconic village fire: A timeline
Mon, 07/22/2019 - 10:02am
Friday, July 20, 2018 - Sunday, July 21, 2019
Sunday, July 21, 2019
- July 20, 2018 - The fire begins at about 4:30 a.m. at Iconic Village, with the initial call coming in at 4:27 a.m. The flames engulf Building 500 before spreading to Building 300.
- July 20, 2018 - U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and National Response Team (NRT) arrive on the scene to help investigate alongside local authorities.
- July 20, 2018 - The San Marcos Activity Center is established as a shelter for the 200 people displaced by the fire at Iconic Village Apartments and Vintage Pads Apartments.
- July 20, 2018 - According to city officials, six people were injured; one person, later identified as Zachary Sutterfield, suffered critical injuries in the fire and was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center; five sustained non-life-threatening injuries and five are unaccounted for.
- July 22, 2018 - As of 1:30 p.m., fire investigators recover three bodies from the scene of the fire in the 500 building of Iconic Village.
- July 23, 2018 - As of 10:30 a.m., a fourth victim is recovered..
- July 23, 2018 - The fifth and final victim’s remains are found in the afternoon.
- July 23, 2018 - Firefighters clear Building L of Vintage Pads and turn their efforts to Building 300 in Iconic Village. No more bodies are recovered from the scene.
- July 24, 2018 - City opens resource center at the San Marcos Activity Center for those displaced by the fire.
- July 25, 2018 - Residents of apartments that were undamaged at the two complexes are allowed back into their homes.
- July 26, 2018 - The remains of 19-year-old Haley Frizzell, 21-year-old Dru Estes, 21-year-old David Ortiz and 23-year-old James Miranda — all in building 500 of the complex — are identified.
- July 30, 2018 - Phillip Miranda, the father of James Miranda, files a lawsuit against the managers for gross negligence, premises liability, and wrongful death.
- July 31, 2018 - The San Marcos Fire Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); San Marcos Fire Marshal; San Marcos Police Department; and State Fire Marshal’s Office complete the on-scene portion of the investigation.
- Aug. 3, 2018 - The fifth victim of the deadly fire at Iconic Village Apartments, 21-year-old Belinda Moats of Big Wells who was also in building 500, is identified.
- Aug. 6, 2018 - Iconic Village residents Benjamin Munoz, Abril Cardenas, Christina Martinez and Pablo Torres — who all survived, but were injured attempting to escape the fire — join suit against apartment owners San Marcos Green Investors and managers Elevate Multifamily and Deborah Jones filed by Phillip Miranda, father of James Miranda.
- Aug. 16, 2018 - Karl and Deona Jo Sutterfield, parents of Zachary Sutterfield who was severely injured during the fire, file a case naming San Marcos Green Investors, LLC; Elevate Multifamily, LLC; and apartment manager Deborah Jones as defendants.
- Nov. 30, 2018 - Officials announce during a press conference that the deadly apartment fire was caused by an “intentional human act” and offer up to $10,000 for information from the public.
- Dec. 1, 2018 - In all, there are four civil lawsuits filed in district court in Travis County against the complex owners, San Marcos Green Investors, and managers. The parents of all the deceased residents, Sutterfield’s parents, and several residents have either filed or joined other lawsuits; there are more than 23 plaintiffs suing the complex owners and managers.
- Dec. 17, 2018 - The five deaths resulting from the Iconic Village apartment fire are ruled homicides.
- Jan. 17, 2019 - City’s Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals votes to reinstate “certain non-conforming aspects of the properties” at Iconic Village Apartments and Vintage Pads, giving owners go-ahead to rebuild the structures damaged in the deadly 2018 fire, but with current fire safety and building codes.
- April 2, 2019 - The San Marcos City Council holds work session with presentation on local fire code amendments to the 2015 International Fire Code.
- April 16, 2019 - The San Marcos City Council approves the first reading of the new fire code.
- May 7, 2019 - The San Marcos City Council approves the second and final reading of the new fire code.
- July 21, 2019 - The investigation into the Iconic Village fire remains open.
