A Houston man has been sentenced to exactly seven years in federal prison for setting fire to a medical center under construction in Spring, an arson that collapsed the three-story building, injured a firefighter, and damaged a neighboring car wash. Truong Quoc Duong, 55, was ordered to serve 84 months behind bars followed by five years of supervised release, and to pay $3,581,983.67 in restitution.
Judge Cites Duong's Education in Sentencing
U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal handed down the sentence, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of Texas. Rosenthal described Duong's actions as a shocking disregard for the danger he created and criticized him for using his education to plan the offense, calling it a real waste, according to seed reporting from Click2Houston. The court also questioned Duong's explanation for possessing a cache of items investigators later linked to the case.
Duong will remain in federal custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, per the same seed report. He had pleaded guilty in March to conspiring to maliciously use explosive materials resulting in personal injury.
Fire Traced to Landlord Dispute Over Pet Store
The blaze traces back to a dispute involving a pet store Duong once operated in a strip center neighboring the medical center. He had rented the space from the medical center's landlords, then stopped paying rent and abandoned the store before his lease was up, prompting the landlords to sue him, the outlet's reporting states. Birds inside the pet store died following the eviction, and the fire occurred several days later, according to the same account.
On Nov. 21, 2022, Duong drove co-defendant Jason Vernon Rogers, 41, of Houston, to the three-story medical center under construction along Interstate 45 North in Spring, per the report. Rogers allegedly entered the building carrying a full backpack and left several minutes later without it, according to ABC13, which reported that the two men later met at a nearby restaurant. Rogers was separately sentenced for his role in the arson.
Building Collapsed as Firefighter Was Hurt
The structure completely caved in about 45 minutes into the fire, and firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before extinguishing it, according to ABC13's account. The fire destroyed the building and damaged a neighboring car wash. A firefighter was hospitalized with burn injuries suffered that night, the station reported. Investigators determined the fire was intentionally set, and federal prosecutors alleged it caused more than $1 million in damage, including damage to a fire truck — though the seed reporting describes the overall toll from the case as millions of dollars in damage.
Investigators said devices found in connection with the case matched those used to set the fire. Authorities said Duong was arrested with 2-liter Dr Pepper bottles filled with gasoline and equipped with an ignition system he designed, and a search also turned up five additional 2-liter bottles containing flammable liquid alongside five grenade hulls, 87 firearms, two short-barreled rifles, 14 silencers, 188 firearm magazines, and 351 rounds of ammunition, according to the seed reporting.
Charges and Arrests
Duong and Rogers were charged with maliciously using explosive materials resulting in physical injury and conspiring to do so, ABC13 reported. Authorities arrested Duong in March and Rogers months later, on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in connection with the fire, per the station's report. The restitution ordered against Duong, exceeding $3.5 million, reflects the scope of destruction from a fire that reduced a nearly completed medical building to rubble along one of Spring's busiest commercial corridors.
