Police arrest arson suspect accused of setting Crow Bar, commercial building on fire
Austin police arrested a man on Sunday accused of intentionally setting fires over the weekend that left one South Congress Avenue staple torched.
Police arrested John Adam Henry, 42, on Sunday evening and booked him in the Travis County jail on two felony charges, one in connection to the fires, the Austin Fire Department said Monday.
Henry is suspected of having started a fire in the 2000 block of South Congress Avenue, near the Habana Restaurant and Bar, as well as being involved in over a dozen grass, trash and dumpster fires from late Saturday into early Sunday morning, fire authorities said.
The ongoing investigation also includes two structure fires, one that left Crow Bar on South Congress Avenue with serious damage throughout the two-story bar and another in an abandoned commercial building about one mile south on South First Street.
"We believe that a minimum of 15 incidents are connected to this suspect and expect to file additional charges as we work to complete our investigation," Austin fire spokeswoman Lisa Cortinas said in a statement.
Henry was arrested late Sunday evening on an unrelated felony charge, according to fire authorities, who did not provide additional details about that case. Once in custody, arson charges were filed against him after video surveillance footage helped identify Henry as a suspect in the arson investigation, officials said.
He remained in custody at the Travis County jail as of Monday evening.
Austin police have referred inquiries about Henry's arrest to fire authorities. Arson investigators did not respond to additional questions on Monday.
Structure fires
Shortly before 4:30 a.m. Sunday, fire fighters found the exterior patio of Crow Bar, along the 3000 block of South Congress Avenue, in flames, officials said.
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Fire crews then responded to a commercial building fire in the 4200 block of South First Street, around the same time. Roughly 15 dumpster, grass and trash fires also were set in the area, the fire department said.
Later Sunday morning upon the outset of the investigation, Austin fire officials determined the fires to be incendiary, or intentionally set, and the fire department's arson division is continuing to investigate the incidents.
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At Crow Bar, crews put out the fire and monitored the scene for any additional flare-ups throughout Sunday morning. Along with the bar's outside deck, both the first and second floors suffered significant damage, and several nearby residences received smoke damage.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Arson suspected arrested, accused of setting 15 fires in Austin
