SAN ANTONIO – A suspect has been arrested in an arson case that left five structures on one West Side street damaged or destroyed.
Roland Ramirez, 35, was arrested Thursday evening in connection with the August 6 incident.
Fire investigators, at that time, told KSAT 12 News it appeared three separate fires in the 900 block of SW 36th Street had been set intentionally. Four homes and an apartment building, some of which were vacant, burned.
People who live nearby also left their homes, fearing that they would be next.
“My house almost caught fire,” one neighbor told KSAT 12 News Friday morning, while reflecting on the fires. “There were a couple of spots on the grass that started catching fire from the ashes that were flying.”
The man, who did not want to reveal his identity, says he knew from the start who was to blame.
He says he gave police information on the suspect, who he recognized as someone who hung out in the neighborhood.
However, for weeks, officers could never seem to catch him.
“Every time I saw him, I called the cops. He got away five times and they finally caught him,” he said.
The neighbor says he continued keeping watch anyway, hoping his work might pay off.
“That was my mission,” he said.
Finally, Thursday evening, the neighbor says he spotted Ramirez, heading for another vacant home in the area. He says he called police, then followed him.
“He was walking but I was in my truck,” the man said. “I was, like, three blocks away. I knew if he found out I was following him, he was going to run.”
Officers, who had obtained a warrant for Ramirez’s arrest in late September, were able to take him into custody.
He was booked into the Bexar County jail Thursday night on a charge of arson.