Man charged with arson for fire set at West Side church

Daniel Jaralson, 51, is accused of starting a fire at Life Restored Church on July 1

SAN ANTONIO – Police have arrested a man accused of starting a fire at the doors of a church on the city’s near West Side.

Daniel Jaralson, 51, is charged with arson of a habitation/place of assembly — a felony.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Jaralson allegedly started a fire outside the Life Restored Church in the 400 block of Arbor Place on July 1.

Church staff told police that they had asked Jaralson not to return to the church because of “unruly behavior” last week.

A witness saw Jaralson pile cardboard boxes at the front door of the church on Friday evening, light them on fire and walk away.

Surveillance video from the church showed Jaralson using a pink torch lighter to ignite the cardboard, the affidavit states.

The fire damaged the stairs, front door and a wall of the church before San Antonio firefighters extinguished the flames.

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About the Author:

Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.