A Houston man has been charged with felony arson after being accused of starting the fire that burned down an abandoned church Monday.
David Gibson, 42, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon, according to court records.
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Documents alleged that Gibson intentionally started the fire by igniting a combustible material or a flammable liquid. Court records also claimed that Gibson stated he was homeless and started the fire to keep himself warm.
Authorities called Gibson’s behavior reckless and said he left the building “after smoke was unbearable.”
More on what happened
Houston Fire Department crews rushed to a vacant church off of the North Freeway early Monday afternoon after it burst into flames. It was reported to HFD at around 12:30 p.m.
The impacted building is located in the 5600 block of the North Freeway.
The building is the former building for Centro Cristiano.
Assistant Pastor Ben Cowpersmith told KPRC 2 they moved out of the building in April 2025 and TxDOT bought it for freeway expansion. The new church building is located about 15 minutes north in the Spring area.
HFD says no injuries have been reported and the building is believed to have been vacant when the fire started.
Approximately 100 firefighters responded to the scene.
Cowpersmith said homeless people have been living at the church since they moved out despite a fence being put up by TxDOT.
Chief Thomas Muñoz with the Houston Fire Department says there were three buildings that were a part of the property.
The fire started in the middle building before spreading to the church itself. The third building also received damage, but the middle building was the most damaged and where the fire is believed to have started.
Muñoz says there was a person seen in the area that may have been inside the middle building when the fire started.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire also came to the scene. He said the property is now owned by TxDOT after they purchased it for the widening of I-45.
“We’ve already been in contact with TxDOT and I’ll be having a serious conversation as they condemn the properties for the widening of the freeway, they’ve got to be responsible for their properties,” Whitmire said.
TxDOT said they did put a fence around the property and the buildings were scheduled to be demolished within the next month.
Whitmire also related the problem of abandoned buildings and areas of poor drainage to what happened Monday.
“This is just one example,” he said. “Here’s an abandoned building that is attracting elements that are blocking the drainage needed to actually fight this fire today. You go up this road a little bit, culverts covered, trash, so an abandoned building which we are trying to use, and will use stormwater drainage funds to work with TxDOT, eliminate a dangerous abandoned building that is influencing our drainage.”