A Houston man has been charged with felony arson after being accused of starting the fire that burned down an abandoned church Monday.
Homeless man charged with arson in fire that burned down abandoned church; docs say man started fire to keep warmA Houston man has been charged with felony arson after being accused of starting the fire that burned down an abandoned church Monday.
Documents alleged that Gibson intentionally started the fire by igniting a combustible material or a flammable liquid. Court records also claimed that Gibson stated he was homeless and started the fire to keep himself warm. Houston Fire Department crews rushed to a vacant church off of the North Freeway early Monday afternoon after it burst into flames. It was reported to HFD at around 12:30 p.m.The building is the former building for Centro Cristiano. Assistant Pastor Ben Cowpersmith told KPRC 2 they moved out of the building in April 2025 and TxDOT bought it for freeway expansion. The new church building is located about 15 minutes north in the Spring area. HFD says no injuries have been reported and the building is believed to have been vacant when the fire started.Cowpersmith said homeless people have been living at the church since they moved out despite a fence being put up by TxDOT. Chief Thomas Muñoz with the Houston Fire Department says there were three buildings that were a part of the property. The fire started in the middle building before spreading to the church itself. The third building also received damage, but the middle building was the most damaged and where the fire is believed to have started. Muñoz says there was a person seen in the area that may have been inside the middle building when the fire started. Houston Mayor John Whitmire also came to the scene. He said the property is now owned by TxDOT after they purchased it for the widening of I-45. “We’ve already been in contact with TxDOT and I’ll be having a serious conversation as they condemn the properties for the widening of the freeway, they’ve got to be responsible for their properties,” Whitmire said. TxDOT said they did put a fence around the property and the buildings were scheduled to be demolished within the next month. Whitmire also related the problem of abandoned buildings and areas of poor drainage to what happened Monday. “This is just one example,” he said. “Here’s an abandoned building that is attracting elements that are blocking the drainage needed to actually fight this fire today. You go up this road a little bit, culverts covered, trash, so an abandoned building which we are trying to use, and will use stormwater drainage funds to work with TxDOT, eliminate a dangerous abandoned building that is influencing our drainage.”Michael is a Kingwood native who loves visiting local restaurants and overreacting to Houston sports. He earned his BA from Texas A&M University in 2022 and his MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023.Heaven’s 27 Foundation: Turning Tragedy into Camp Safety ReformTexas investigates grocery chains over undisclosed pesticide-like spray on produceCrews work to contain massive fire at church building off of North FreewayHPD: Man with felony warrant resists arrest leading to officer shooting
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