Texas Family Escapes Arson Attack
In a terrifying incident, six families in Texas, including a one-year-old baby, narrowly escaped a house fire set by an arsonist. The attack took place while they were asleep, as the perpetrator drenched their porches in gasoline and ignited the flames.
Daryl Wilson, 52, and his wife, Wacheida, had gathered with their adult children for a summer holiday when tragedy struck. Their 21-year-old daughter, Maria Rivera, was still awake when smoke filled their two-story home in Midlothian around 1 a.m. She went downstairs to check things out just as the fire began to spread, as her father recounted.
By the time Maria reached the first floor, flames were bursting through the living room window. In a rush, she called 911 and woke her sleeping parents.
“She ran out yelling, ‘The house is on fire!’” Daryl recalled. “I thought, ‘This can’t be real. Who would do this?’”
The desperate father attempted to extinguish the fire using just two glasses of water, then resorted to grabbing pots as Wacheida searched for the safety of their other children.
Wacheida soon spotted footage from their security cameras, showing the hooded arsonist pouring gasoline near their home before fleeing the scene.
Fire crews soon arrived to control the blaze, and fortunately, all family members escaped without injury, but they remain shaken by the ordeal.
“Your intention was to hurt us. You must be soulless,” Daryl expressed, reflecting on the gravity of the attack.
Myra Rivera, another daughter, is deeply troubled by what might have occurred if her young child and sister hadn’t been awake when the fire started. Now, the family takes turns staying up at night, keeping watch as the suspect remains at large.
“We’re rotating shifts, staying up, peeking out the window, monitoring the cameras. It’s exhausting,” Wacheida shared.
In search of peace, the family plans to relocate as soon as they can.
“My kids don’t want to be here. My wife is scared. It hurts to think someone targeted our home. I feel helpless,” Daryl lamented.
More than anything, they hope that the individual responsible realizes the impact of their actions on families with children. “I just want them to know what they did,” he concluded.
