Deadly Iconic Village fire: Investigation continues 8 years later, tip line established
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Iconic Village fire
Four months after the deadly fire at the Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos.
SAN MARCOS, Texas - It's almost been eight years since a fire at the Iconic Village apartment complex claimed the lives of five people and San Marcos fire investigators are still trying to figure out what happened.
The Fire Marshal's Office is renewing its call to the public for any information in this case and has established a dedicated tip line.
The backstory:
On July 20, 2018, a fire started before 4:30 a.m. at the complex on Ramsay Street, engulfing building 500 and moving to building 300.
The fire also damaged a building at the nearby Vintage Pads Apartments, located in the 1000 block of North LBJ Drive.
Officials at the time said the building where the bodies were recovered wasn't equipped with a sprinkler system as the buildings were constructed in the 1970s and local authorities could not require the buildings to be retrofitted.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Iconic Village apartment fire
Tomorrow marks one year since the fire at the Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos that killed five people.
In November 2018, the San Marcos Fire Department and the ATF announced the fire was intentionally set and the deaths had been ruled homicides.
In October 2022, an investigative team was formed that was dedicated to solving the open investigation.
From left to right, top to bottom: Haley Michele Frizzell, Dru Estes, Belinda Moats, David Ortiz, and James Miranda. (City of San MarcosCourtesy: City of San Marcos)
- 21-year-old Belinda Moats of Big Wells
- 19-year-old Haley Michele Frizzell of San Angelo
- 21-year-old David Ortiz of Pasadena
- 20-year-old Dru Estes of San Antonio
- 23-year-old James Miranda of Mount Pleasant
Moats, Frizzell, Ortiz, and Estes were all Texas State University students. All five were in the same building.
Several others were injured and more than 200 residents were displaced.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: No indictment in deadly Iconic Village apartment fire
A grand jury declined to indict a man accused of starting a deadly fire at the San Marcos Iconic village apartments in 2018.
One person was arrested and charged in connection with the fire, but a grand jury declined to indict him for arson in 2023.
The grand jury met several times over a period of two months and reviewed evidence in the arson investigation. They said the case "failed to find a bill of indictment against the accused" and they "encourage law enforcement to continue this investigation."
What you can do:
Anyone with information that can help move the investigation forward is urged to call the new dedicated tip line at 512-393-7388.
Callers are asked to report anything they know, including anything they may have seen or heard in the days surrounding the fire, conversations they may have had or any other information that could assist investigators.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the San Marcos Fire Marshal's Office and previous reporting by FOX 7 Austin.