Suspicious House Fire Leads to Same-Day Demolition and Displaces Del Rio’s Homeless

A house fire erupted this afternoon, 10/13/2025, around 3:00pm on the corner of East 1st Street and the 300 block of Avenue J in Del Rio, Texas. The fire was quickly contained, and by 5:30pm, bulldozers had completely demolished the entire property. The house was already on the city’s list for demolition, prior to the fire. Police, Fire, and the City provided comments that the property has a history of calls for drug-related issues. Witness reports say there were 4 to 5 occupants in the house when the fire started, and all were able to escape unharmed. However, approximately 6 occupants have now been displaced.

Del Rio Fire Department (DRFD) responded to the call and were on scene within 5 minutes. They said they could see the smoke from the station. All 4 DRFD pumper fire engines were dispatched, and 1 command vehicle. Flames were extinguished quickly but the structure could not be saved. DRFD Lieutenant Donald Merkle said, “it went up fast, it’s an old structure. The older the wood, the faster it will burn.” Merkle went onto say, DRFD has had “numerous medical calls for drug use” to this address.

The fire consumed building #302 and spared the adjacent building #304, located on the same tact of land. Originally, the occupants of building #302 said were making plans to go back and sleep in building #304, because it had not been damaged by the flames. However, #304 did face smoke and heat damage. Therefore, both building #302 and #304 were declared inhabitable and both were demolished. The same-day demolition came as a surprise to the occupants. They had nowhere else to go.

The building occupants are technically squatters, but they did claim to be friends with the family of the property owner. The property owner is now deceased and owes years of back-due property taxes. The City was working through the legal process to get the property condemned and had conducted a few “clean-ups” in the past several years. The building had no running water or running sewer or electricity. The occupants of the home identified themselves as “homeless.”

There is no Homeless Shelter in Del Rio. DRPD, DRFD, and Del Rio City officials were working together to locate emergency housing for the displaced occupants. The City’s emergency “Cooling Center” is not currently operating, as it usually only opens during extreme heat and extreme cold weather days. Therefore, officials were working to locate emergency housing through third party providers such as the American Red Cross and Esperanza First Baptist Church.

One of the occupants, named Vito, shared his testimony with Del Rio News Network (DRN). Vito indicated that the number of homeless individuals in Del Rio is growing and that there should be more resources for the homeless population here. Vito said, “I understand what it is to be out here, I understand what it is to be homeless.” Vito had been living in building #302 for two or three months and said that time was “the happiest of my life.” Vito held back tears as he said, “our house made it… a quarter stood. Why bulldoze?” Vito was worried about his friends, and where they could find a safe place to rest their head.

The neighbors across the street provided an alternative perspective. They were happy to see the property being demolished and said, “I hope they tear the whole thing down.” The neighbors said they had made multiple complaints to the City throughout the years about the nuisance. They said cars, bikes, and people are constantly going up and down the street, to and from that property, at all hours of the night.  

Suspicions of arson were circulating during conversations shared on scene, but the cause of the fire is currently unknown. DRFD Lieutenant Donald Merkle said witnesses reported that “pops were heard” just prior to the fire. The occupants of the home all claimed to have been on the other side of the house when the fire started, and didn’t see it start. Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal Jose De Luna will be conducting an investigation.

All occupants are safe and unharmed; no hospital transports were made. No matter if the fire was drug-related, intentional, or accidental, these 6 occupants are now displaced. DRPD and DRFD officials hope the occupants will utilize the third-party resources through the American Red Cross and Esperanza First Baptist Church. However, witness testimonies suggest it is likely that the occupants would rather rehome themselves in another abandoned building somewhere in town.

READ MORE ABOUT THE PROPERTY HISTORY HERE: City Cleans Up Dangerous Dilapidated Property in Del Rio