An Austin man was taken into custody last week, accused of an act of arson that jeopardized a local bridge and put nearby residents at risk. In the early morning of October 24, the Austin Fire Department (AFD) were called to a scene underneath a bridge on South Pleasant Valley Road, where they found tree limbs stacked and alight against a bridge support pillar. According to a news release from the City of Austin, once the fire was extinguished, AFD crews recognized Mario Francisco Vasquez Lopez, 35, from previous violent encounters, seated nearby.

Lopez allegedly admitted to starting the blaze when questioned by the officers who had been called to the scene. The AFD arson investigators arrived to conclusively verify that the fire had been intentionally set, confirming suspicions already held by the fire crew, as per the City of Austin. While the direct consequences of the act were limited to an estimated $20,000 in damages to the bridge, the potential for a far more devastating outcome was implicit in the crime.

Following the investigation, Vasquez Lopez was arrested and charged with one count of arson - a second-degree felony in Texas. He was subsequently transported to Travis County Jail, as reported by the City of Austin. His bond was punctually set at an amount equalling the estimated damages to the bridge: $20,000.