Surveillance video shows someone igniting an object and throwing it onto the porch of the Texas governor’s mansion just before a fire that caused significant damage to the landmark building, investigators said Thursday.
State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado said investigators were still reviewing the video, but that it did not show the arsonist leaving the mansion’s front yard. Maldonado said he did not know if other people were present.
Gov. Rick Perry, who was out of the country at the time of the Sunday morning fire, paid homage to his residence for eight years at the state Republican convention in Houston.
Pointing to a picture of the mansion on a big TV screen in the hall, Perry said: “See the grandeur, and hear me when I say this: You will see it again. I will not allow the destructive act of some deranged individual or group to destroy something that Texans hold so dear.”
Federal, state and local officials have wrapped up the onsite part of the criminal investigation. With that concluded, structural engineers and preservation experts begin the long process of restoring the home.
Preliminary assessments indicate that the roof must be replaced, but much of the interior appears to be in remarkably good condition, said Gary Jaster, a structural engineer who will be leading the beginning stages of the project.
“We do have some brick, some masonry that has fallen in spots. We will have to do some work with the chimneys, but in the grand scheme of things, I think the walls are in very good shape right now,” Jaster said.
The two-story Greek Revival style house has been the official home of every Texas governor since it was completed in 1856, including Sam Houston and President Bush.
The Perrys moved out of the mansion last fall so that renovations estimated to cost $10 million could be done. Antique furniture and other relics were being stored elsewhere during the work.
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Associated Press reporter Kelley Shannon in Houston contributed to this report.
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