RANGER, Texas — Note: The video above is from a report on Thursday, March 17, 2022.
One person has been arrested for arson after fires engulfed a large part of an Eastland County city's downtown area last week, officials said Sunday.
On Thursday, crews in the community of Ranger -- about 85 miles west of Fort Worth off of Interstate 20 and Loop 254 -- worked to put out heavy flames that ended up destroying four structures, including 100-year-old Second Baptist Church and a historic fire station.
This fire, however, was separate from a complex of wildfires that began Thursday afternoon and are continuing to ravage through Eastland County as of Sunday.
City officials said Sunday that investigators determined the downtown fire was started by an individual a few miles south of the heavily affected area.
According to officials, police arrested the suspect, identified as Robert James, for five counts of felony arson on Saturday.
Further details such as how the fire was started were not immediately released as the investigation continues.
"The Ranger Police Department would like to say thank you to the Ranger Fire Department and surrounding Departments that assisted for all their hard work in getting the fires put out," the city said in a statement.
WFAA spoke with the fire chief in Ranger on Thursday night as crews were still working to put out the fires.
"A lot of sentimental value here. Lived in Ranger my whole life," fire chief Darrell Fox said.
Fox initially said the fire may have started from a barbecue pit, but it's unclear if that was the determined cause. He also added that the flames were fueled by high winds.
"We knew coming into today (Thursday), we had that red flag warning. We had everything ready throughout the county," Fox said. "But when we have the winds like there was today and the humidity down nothing, this is what you're going to get."
