A Former employee Believed He Had Been Wrongfully Terminated

The investigation commenced shortly after the fire was extinguished. Fire marshals from the Houston Fire Department first worked to determine the fire’s origin and cause. They conducted a thorough inspection of the debris and found several indicators of arson, including the presence of accelerants in multiple locations within the building. This evidence prompted the involvement of arson investigators. To gather more information, the investigative team conducted interviews with the store owner, employees, and neighbors. The store owner claimed he had left the premises only a few hours before the fire started, stating that he was unaware of any threats or suspicious activity. However, several employees noted that they had been notified by the owner of financial struggles leading up to the incident, suggesting potential motive. Investigators also examined surveillance footage from nearby cameras and the Furniture Store itself. They discovered a suspicious individual loitering around the store shortly before the fire started. The footage showed the individual covering their face and attempting to enter through a side door where a security lock had been damaged. In addition to the video evidence, investigators reached out to local businesses to gather any further tips regarding the suspicious individual. They utilized social media to circulate images from the surveillance footage, seeking assistance from the community. This outreach resulted in several leads that eventually pointed to a former employee who had been terminated for misconduct several months before the incident. The former employee was questioned and ultimately confessed to setting the fire in an act of revenge against the store owner. He admitted to using gasoline as an accelerant, which aligned with the findings from the fire scene. The investigation revealed that the former employee believed he had been wrongfully terminated and hoped to hurt the owner financially.