HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Bond has been set for the woman accused of setting a vacant warehouse on fire that led to the death of a Houston firefighter. First responders began paying their respect to Marcelo Garcia III on Sunday morning.
The procession is scheduled to begin on Sunday at 9 a.m. from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, with the Houston Fire Department and Houston Police Department lined up along the streets to escort Garcia’s body to the Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home.
Garcia, 42, died Wednesday evening while battling an empty warehouse fire on Polk Street near Wayside Drive in the Greater East End.
Yesenia Espinoza, 38, has been accused of intentionally starting the fire with a red light and combustible items.
READ MORE: 1 Houston firefighter killed, another injured while battling warehouse fire in east Houston
Charging documents state that investigators used facial recognition software to match Espinoza’s face from surveillance video to her prior mugshot. They say the video shows her leaving the building with multiple handbags in a black-and-white dress.
Investigators believe the intensity of the flames caused a wall to collapse during the fire. Firefighters later pulled Garcia out from under the rubble, who was pronounced dead at the hospital.
He is the 83rd Houston firefighter to die in the line of duty.
“This charge is the first step in a long healing process for the firefighters of this city,” HFD Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz said. “I want to extend my personal gratitude to our Arson Bureau, the Houston Police Department, and the METRO police department for their collaboration on this investigation.”
RELATED: 1st-degree arson charges filed against woman in E. Houston fire that killed firefighter, HFD says
Houston City Council Member Joaquin Martinez said he was good friends with Garcia, and they attended Milby High School together. Garcia served with the Houston Fire Department for 10 years and spent the last six at Station 23 on Lawndale Street on the city’s southeast side.
Espinoza has been charged with first-degree arson. She faced a Harris County judge Saturday night, and her bond was set at $100,000.
Garcia’s public viewing will be held Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home, 6900 Lawndale. His public funeral service is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy.
Mayor John Whitmire requests that Houstonians and those who commute to the city turn on their vehicle headlights Wednesday to honor Garcia.
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