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Survivor speaks following devastating fire
FOX 26 Reporter Sherman Desselle has more in this FOX 26 exclusive report.
HOUSTON - In an exclusive interview with FOX 26, Roxana Morales, the daughter of a severely disabled man critically injured in an apartment fire on Christmas night, shared her distress over the incident.
Her brother, Armando Perez, Jr, is currently in jail, accused of setting the fire that has left their family dealing with the aftermath.
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The victim, Armando Perez, Sr, is in critical condition in the ICU, suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.
"It destroyed our home. We don't have anything," Morales said.
Morales reached out to FOX 26 after seeing reports of other tenants in the complex with only minor damage to their homes receiving assistance. Roxana, along with her parents, two brothers, and four children who stayed there, now face the daunting task of starting anew.
According to Morales, on Christmas night, her brother, Armando Perez, Jr, became aggressive after heavy drinking.
"We started arguing, then he hit me. As soon as my brother, Daniel, found out, they started fighting," Morales said.
On December 26, neighbors gave similar reports to FOX 26 about hearing the altercation in and outside the apartment.
Morales says as the fight escalated, and family members called the police, one of the siblings and a friend tried to hold an agitated Perez, Jr. down.
Morales says while she and others waited out in front of the complex for officers and checked on another sibling who walked away upset over the incident, Perez, Jr, went back upstairs.
Moments later, flames engulfed the second-floor apartment, with Armando Perez, Sr, still inside. "I was yelling, I was crying...my dad, my dad...please take him out," Morales recalled. Perez, Sr. is bedridden and has been for several years.
At the time, they believed Perez, Jr was inside as well - but it was later confirmed by the Houston Fire Department that he was not.
After family members struggled to get inside the unit to retrieve Perez, Sr., firefighters rescued him, and he was rushed to the hospital with severe burns and smoke inhalation injuries. Perez, Jr, was arrested on the scene and is now facing felony arson charges.
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Charging documents indicate that Perez allegedly used his father's oxygen tank to ignite the flames.
Armando Perez, Jr. has an extensive criminal history, including assault of a family member, trespassing, and robbery charges that date back to 2012.
As the family grapples with the uncertain future, Roxana wonders about her brother's motives.
"What was going through your head?" she asks. "I can't hate him. He's my brother, but I don't want to know anything about him. The family doesn't want to know anything about him."
Perez, Jr, remains in jail on a $75,000 bond. The family now faces the challenge of finding accommodation to meet their father's needs as he recovers in the hospital.