Overview
- The San Marcos Fire Marshal’s Office established a dedicated tip line on July 13, 2026 and is asking anyone with information to call 512-393-7388.
- Investigators say the blaze that began before 4:30 a.m. on July 20, 2018 was intentionally set by igniting a discarded mattress in an outdoor breezeway and killed five young adults.
- One person was arrested in 2023 on an arson charge but a Hays County grand jury in April 2025 declined to indict, with prosecutors saying jurors lacked sufficient evidence.
- Four of the five victims were Texas State students or former students and one survivor, Zachary Sutterfield, suffered catastrophic burns to 68 percent of his body and a traumatic brain injury.
- Officials stress that even small or previously overlooked details could generate new leads and that fresh witness statements may be needed to meet prosecutorial standards and revive the case.