The Texas woman was arrested after she allegedly set a fire that destroyed at least four mobile homes and took the lives of a man and three dogs — with witnesses claiming she sat down in a chair and watched it burn.
A woman in Dallas has been charged with arson after she allegedly admitted to setting fire to a home because she was denied entry to use the bathroom.
Mirsa Lopez, 37, was arrested on October 12 by Dallas Police, according to local NBC affiliate KXAS, and subsequently charged with arson with intent to damage habitat, per Dallas County jail records. The fire destroyed at least four mobile homes and took the lives of a man and three dogs.
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According to an arrest warrant affidavit, obtained by KDFW and KXAS, Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to a fire at a mobile home park in Northwest Dallas early Saturday morning.
Authorities said that Lopez started the fire after one of the homeowners, whom she allegedly was in a relationship with and identified as Gary Fischer, refused her entry into his mobile home. Per KDFW, Lopez admitted to a neighbor that she started the fire after Fischer would not let her come inside his home to use the restroom, and she got upset. She also reportedly confessed this to police.
Per the affidavit, Lopez knocked on Fischer’s door while he was sleeping. Fisher then allegedly told Lopez to leave, before he then shut the door on her and went back to sleep.
“There she was standing,” Fischer told KXAS. “I said, ‘Try later,’ and I closed the door and locked it.”
According to Fischer, five minutes later, he heard a loud noise, before he then saw the blaze outside his home.
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“I saw fire coming in the top, top of the window and smoke filling the room quick. I mean, I could hardly breathe,” Fischer recalled.
KXAS said that when the fire department arrived at the scene, they found a fire at the back of one of the mobile homes, along with vehicles. However, the fire became more severe as it continued to spread to other homes, and triggered a second alarm.
The flames destroyed four homes and left two others damaged, per the outlet. The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department said in a statement that four vehicles were also destroyed, according to PEOPLE.
Firefighters discovered a man unconscious in one of the homes, per KXAS. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. He reportedly has not been identified, however, Fischer told the outlet that the man “didn’t live” at the mobile home park and was just “visiting.”
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Fischer spoke to KXAS about returning to the scene the day after the fire destroyed his home. While said he was able to find some valuables, he told the outlet that he was devastated about the loss of two of his dogs, Gracie and Honey.
“They weren’t there at the door. I expected both of them to be right there,” he said.
As for Lopez, per the affidavit, she said she used “a lighter which she used to ignite a plastic bag.” Police also said witnesses claimed they saw Lopez sitting in a chair while Fischer’s home burned.
The American Red Cross confirmed to KXAS that it offered assistance to 14 people. The outlet reported that another one of the homes that was destroyed belonged to a family of eight.
According to KDFW, Lopez remains in custody at Lew Sterrett Jail.
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