Man arrested in connection with Frisco house fire, could be tied to second blaze
FRISCO – Fire investigators suspect two blazes in Frisco on Monday may be related and caused by the same person.
The first fire happened at the corner of Chapel Creek Boulevard and Memorial Drive in the Chapel Creek Estates neighborhood.
Neighbors said they knew something was amiss while watching the flames.
"We jumped in the car, ran over," Larry Taylor said. "There was a lot of fire in a very short period of time."
Frisco firefighters stayed busy. Shortly after, a second fire broke out at another home under construction in the 4600 block of Haverford Dr., near Lebanon Road and Legacy Drive. It started inside a scrap dumpster right outside the home.
"I strongly suspected when I was looking at it that arson might be involved," Taylor said.
Fires at two homes, one night. Both are under construction, just about two-and-a-half miles from each other.
Luckily, there were no major injuries. There was one arrest.
Officers on the scene saw a man matching the description of the person of interest from the earlier fire walk from between two houses near the second fire.
They identified that man as 29-year-old Jonathan Webb, of Austin.
He was arrested first for public intoxication and later charged with deadly conduct related to the alley fire.
Officials said Webb was seen on camera at the site of the first fire, too. Though he has only been charged for one, they highly suspect the fires are connected.
In the meantime, one huge question remains.
"Why would someone want to do that?" neighbors asked.
It's the piece that investigators are still working to uncover. For now, they don't know if Webb had any connection to the families renovating these homes. But what they do know is that a long journey to recovery for everyone involved is ahead.
Police say the home on Memorial Dr. is a total loss. The home next door sustained significant damage. In total, eight homes were impacted by the 3-alarm fire, whether it was by fire, water damage or broken windows.
Police say Webb remains jailed in Frisco as the investigation continues. His bond is set at $150,000.