Man Arrested in Houston’s Memorial Park Arson Case

Summary:
A man experiencing homelessness was arrested on July 23, 2025, after admitting to setting multiple fires in Houston’s Memorial Park. Authorities say the fires date back to October 24, 2024, and no additional fires have been reported since the arrest.

On Monday, July 28, 2025, the Houston Fire Department reported that a man experiencing homelessness had been taken into custody after admitting to starting a series of fires in Memorial Park.

According to officials, the incidents began in October of the previous year. On July 21, HFD received reports of several small fires within the park. The following day, another fire occurred. In response, approximately 15 arson investigators were dispatched to Memorial Park on July 23 to examine the situation.

“We coordinated with the arson bureau, HFD arson bureau, started working on seeing what was happening, looking at patterns, and within a matter of one day, approximately less than one day, they arrested a suspect that they had been following,” stated HFD Chief Thomas Muñoz.

Investigators said video evidence captured some of the fires and contributed to identifying the suspect. While surveying the park on July 23, authorities encountered a man resembling the person in the footage and initiated a conversation with him.

HFD Chief Investigator Jan Garriga recounted the interaction, saying, “He identified himself from the image he was shown, ‘Do you know who this individual is?’ and he’s like, ‘Yep, that’s me.’”

Since the arrest on July 23, officials noted that no new fires had been reported in the area.

“That definitely shows that this might be the person that was causing the fires,” said Muñoz.

While no buildings were harmed, HFD confirmed that portions of vegetation were affected by the fires.

Authorities stated the man is being detained at the Harris County Jail, with bond set at $50,000. The investigation remains active, as officials believe the individual may be linked to approximately 16 separate fire incidents, the earliest of which occurred on October 24, 2024. No motive has been disclosed at this time.