Fire that seriously injured Fort Worth firefighter was arson; woman arrested, officials say
The Fort Worth Fire Department said the September fire that badly wounded firefighter Caleb Halvorson and injured Lt. Troy Gallagher was arson and an arrest has been made.
Fire in Fort Worth's historic Southside
The two firefighters were injured after a garage collapsed during a two-alarm house fire in the city's historic Southside in early September.
In less than 2 minutes, fellow firefighters had pulled the trapped firefighter, Caleb Halvorson, from the burning debris, Fort Worth FD said.
Halvorson suffered several injuries and burns and spent more than a month at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. His road to recovery has been long, with multiple skin grafts, infections and burns deeper than doctors initially thought. Even after the trauma, Halvorson says he's already looking forward to returning to the job he loves.
Arrest made in Fort Worth fire ruled arson
Fort Worth FD said Shawndreika Thomas, 34, intentionally set the fire and faces charges for arson and two counts of bodily injury.
Officials said she used a lighter and there is not currently any information on a motive and Thomas has no known connection to the house. They added that Thomas has not been cooperative in the investigation and is currently homeless.
She is currently in custody at the Tarrant County Jail. Her bond is set at $250,000.
Multiple investigations into the fire underway
Interim Fire Chief Ray Hill said in addition to an internal investigation into the fire, the department has requested an external investigation by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH.
Hill said while the department initiates an internal investigation after every incident, this is the first time in decades the department has called in NIOSH.
Hill said former Chief Jim Davis and the firefighters' union agreed to make that call. That contradicts statements by Davis' attorney, who said that the union did not want an external investigation.
The internal investigation is expected to take at least six weeks to complete. It's unknown how long the NIOSH investigation will take, especially with the government shutdown ongoing.
