Juveniles charged with vacant nursing home fire

A pair of juvenile suspects have been taken into custody and charged with arson, burglary of a building and criminal trespass stemming from an incident last month.

Gonzales Fire Department crews were dispatched at 3:47 p.m. Monday, March 21, to a structure fire at the vacant nursing home at 1800 Cartwheel Drive. The fire department arrived within five minutes and had the fire under control by 4:04 p.m.

Once the blaze was extinguished, the Gonzales Fire Marshal’s Office conducted a fire investigation. Fire and smoke damage to the building and its contents was estimated to be about $36,000. The cause of fire was determined to be incendiary.

The Gonzales Fire Marshal’s Office, with the assistance of the Gonzales Independent School District Police Department, conducted a criminal investigation. During the investigation, two juvenile suspects were identified and additional crimes were discovered that had occurred.

On Wednesday, April 13, Gonzales Fire Marshal Scott Raven formally charged the two juvenile suspects. Arson is a second-degree felony, while burglary of a building with intent to commit a felony is a state jail felony and criminal trespass is a Class B misdemeanor.