A Fort Worth firefighter badly hurt in a September house fire says he is reeling after a Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict a woman on an arson charge, the district attorney’s office confirmed yesterday. The decision lands more than four months after the Sept. 3 blaze in the city’s Historic Southside that caused a roof and garage collapse and sent two firefighters to the hospital, reopening what colleagues and neighbors describe as the emotional toll of a long recovery.
Firefighter reacts to grand jury decision
In a video report, the injured firefighter reacts visibly and says the grand jury’s decision has dragged him back through the hardest parts of his recovery, according to CBS News. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to the outlet that a grand jury declined to return an arson indictment in the case.
How the blaze unfolded
The Sept. 3 fire drew a two-alarm response after flames spread quickly and part of the home’s roof and an adjacent garage collapsed, trapping a firefighter in the rubble. Crews pulled 26-year-old Caleb Halvorson from the debris, and he suffered severe burns, underwent multiple surgeries and spent weeks at Parkland Hospital during his recovery. The Fort Worth Fire Department requested an external review by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as it examines the incident and department procedures, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Arrest, charges and evidence
Authorities arrested 34-year-old Shawndreika Thomas in late October after investigators said surveillance footage and witness statements placed her at the house around the time of the fire and indicated she used an open-flame device such as a cigarette lighter. Thomas was booked on a charge of arson of a habitation and on counts alleging bodily injury to firefighters, and she was held on a $250,000 bond, local outlets reported. Investigators forwarded that arrest and the department’s arson case to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office for review by a grand jury, according to reporting.
Grand jury decision and next steps
Despite the earlier arrest and the arson charge, the DA’s office confirmed that a grand jury did not return an arson indictment. CBS News reports that Thomas instead faces a separate indictment for burglary of a habitation. The district attorney’s office did not immediately say whether prosecutors will try to present the arson evidence to another grand jury or pursue different charges, according to the outlet.
Officials, colleagues and community response
City and fire officials have called the case troubling and say they plan to cooperate fully with prosecutors and outside reviewers while the legal process plays out. Supporters and fellow firefighters continue to rally around Halvorson as he recovers, and the department has publicly thanked the community for its messages and gestures of support in recent reporting.
