A week and a half after a fire and ensuing flood caused more than $1 million in damage at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, state officials say they will be charging two people after an arson investigation.
The Office of Superintendent of Insurance will hold a news conference today to provide more details about the incident and about the investigation, but special agent in charge Mark Torres said he can confirm charges are pending.
He would not say what the people will be charged with, who they are or whether they’re connected to the Barelas-area center, at Bridge SW near Fourth.
Torres said he plans to also discuss why the sprinkler system failed. He said the individual had “interrupted” the process so it wouldn’t call the fire department when the alarm went off.
“We will be able to explain where there was a breakdown in the system and how an individual overrode the system,” he said. “That’s why it didn’t work, causing $1.5 million in damage.”