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Tip line created as investigation into fatal San Marcos apartment fire continues

Anyone with information related to the fire can contact 512-393-7388

Firefighters respond to a fire at the Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos, Texas on July 20, 2018. (KSAT)

SAN MARCOS – The San Marcos Fire Marshal’s Office has established a tip line for information into an apartment fire in 2018 that killed five people, including one from San Antonio.

The fire at the Iconic Village apartments broke out in the early morning hours of July 20, 2018.

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The flames killed Dru Estes, 20, of San Antonio; Belinda Moats, 21, of Big Wells; Haley Michele Frizzell, 19, of San Angelo; David Angel Ortiz, 21, of Pasadena; and James Phillip Miranda, 23, of Mount Pleasant.

Four of the five victims were students or former students at Texas State University.

Victims: Belinda Moats (top left), Dru Estes (upper middle), Haley Michelle Frizzell (top right), James Miranda (lower left), David Ortiz (lower right) (KSAT)

Investigators determined that the fire was intentionally set, which led to an arrest in 2023. However, a grand jury no-billed the case in April, 2025. The Hays County District Attorney’s Office said at the time that jurors did not have sufficient evidence to indict the suspect.

“We believe someone knows something that can help,” San Marcos Fire Marshal Jonathan Henderson said in a news release. “Even small details or conversations that may have seemed insignificant at the time could prove valuable today.”

“Eight years have passed, but our commitment to finding answers has not changed,” Henderson said. “We remain dedicated to seeking justice for the victims, their families, the survivors, and everyone whose lives were forever changed by this tragedy. Someone knows something, and we are asking them to come forward.”

Anyone with information related to the fire can contact 512-393-7388.