The Austin Police Department has reportedly arrested a 60-year-old man, Richard Dale Price, linking him to a series of dumpster fires that plagued North Austin. As KXAN reported, two of the fires are directly associated with Price, with five others possibly connected to his actions. Authorities caught him on Tuesday, following an extensive investigation as the neighborhood watched flames ignite one after another.
The arrest was timely, as the city witnessed these blazes rapidly unfold, starting around 9:20 a.m. Tuesday. In an unexpected twist, around 3 p.m., an arson investigator happened to see Price near another igniting dumpster, facilitating a swift apprehension. Charged with a misdemeanor and a state jail felony for arson, as the Austin Police said, one of the dumpster fires caused an estimated $10,000 in damage.
This incident took a more distressing turn as an eruption from one of the dumpsters risked a popular local eatery, the French Quarter Grille, resulting in substantial damage. According to a KVUE report, the fire led to approximately $43,000 in losses for the restaurant. Amid the embers, co-owner Dave Gore expressed deep concern for his business's future, spelled out in stark terms the narrow margins on which they operate. "Even one day without revenue can be very detrimental to our business," Gore told KVUE.
Assistant Chief Thayer Smith of the Austin Fire Department described Price as an unhoused individual with a lengthy criminal past. In a rare accomplishment for the department, catching a suspect in the act greatly assisted in the case against Price. "An additional fire was set in a dumpster," Smith said. "Investigators viewed the subject they were looking for walking away from that dumpster and were able to make an arrest." The restaurant's owner Gore, however, is left to ponder the consequences if Price were to be set free. "To have somebody out there in the world, have no problem starting fires all over the place and potentially, you know, God forbid it happens again to another business. It could be a lot worse," Gore reported to KVUE.
While Attorney information for Price was not available at the time of the recent reports, the ongoing investigation seeks to conclusively link him to the remaining suspected arson cases. The devastation has already been sown in North Austin, where a community now wrestles with the chaos birthed from the unexpected kindling of its calm. It is a community waiting, with bated breath, for justice to extinguish this stream of destructive acts.
