HOUSTON – The Houston Fire Department says a man they identified as a possible suspect in the fire at Winter Street Studios last Tuesday jumped to his death two days later as arson investigators and Houston Police arrived at his home to arrest him.
HFD spokesperson Martee Black told KPRC 2 News, the man was seen on surveillance video at the photography studio where it is believed the fire started on December 20.
More than 70 studios were severely damaged by fire and smoke, costing 100 artists their livelihoods.
Many had some form of insurance coverage, but not enough to cover their damages.
The Houston Arts Alliance activated its emergency relief fund and has raised $25,000 so far, but the amount requested by artists applying for help has reached $750,000.
“Art is important, art is what makes us unique, art is what makes us who we are and it makes us human and these people in this studio are the people who do that for a living and they’ve lost their livelihoods. We want to make sure that we’re helping them get back on their feet and making sure they can pay rent and everything else while they’re dealing with the cleanup of this tragedy,” said Lauren Hainley, director of disaster services for Houston Arts Alliance.
If you would like to help, you can donate here: https://ready.haatx.com/
On Friday, Potts told KPRC 2 Whitaker was a contractor his company had worked with on various projects over the last two years.