Suspect charged with starting Tuesday fire that injured 1
Published 2:26 pm Thursday, February 6, 2025
Gelisha Sally Rivers
Firefighters from Austin and Brownsdale stand outside the burned-out hull of one side of a duplex after the fire was doused Tuesday afternoon. One was taken to the hospital and another has been taken into custody in relation. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
An Austin firefighter uses a pike to dig into the frame of a house in the 1300 block of 10th Street SW during a house fire call Tuesday afternoon. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin firefighters put water on the front of a home in the 1300 block of 10th Street SE late Tuesday afternoon. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin firefighters put water on the front of a home in the 1300 block of 10th Street SE late Tuesday afternoon. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin firefighters, covered in frost, put water on the front of a home in the 1300 block of 10th Street SE late Tuesday afternoon.. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
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More information has come to light regarding a house fire allegedly set intentionally by Gelisha Sally Rivers, 32, with her father in the house in southwest Austin Tuesday afternoon.
Rivers made her first appearance in Mower County District Court Thursday morning to face a single felony count of first degree arson, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine if convicted.
Rivers is currently being held in the Mower County Jail on $100,000 bail or bond with no conditions and $50,000 with conditions.
Rivers was taken into custody and questioned not long after Austin firefighters were dispatched to the 1300 block of 10th Street SW at around 3:09 p.m. for a report of a structure fire. According to the court complaint, the man living at the residence, a duplex, stated he couldn’t see flames but that smoke was visible in the house.
An Austin Police officer first on the scene discovered the man outside of the home, which now had active flames and smoke coming from within, after he had jumped from an upstairs window.
Rivers was also witnessed in front of the home crying.
The officer drug the injured man, who was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System-Austin and treated for a broken leg, across the alley and proceeded to get the residents of the adjoining home in the duplex evacuated safely from the building.
At the scene, Austin firefighters, along with mutual aid from Mapleview and Brownsdale firefighters, were able to get the fire under control and soon after Fire Chief Jim McCoy said the blaze was being treated as an incendiary fire.
The State Fire Marshal was also on scene later that afternoon to investigate.
Both sides of the duplex were rendered unlivable due to fire or smoke.
APD detectives and officers talked to several witnesses at the scene including one who lives in a home in the 1000 block of 13th Avenue SW, who said that as she was leaving her home, she could hear smoke detectors going off at the duplex.
The witness said she asked Rivers if everything was okay and Rivers allegedly responded by saying everything was okay, but that something was burning in the oven. When the witness returned minutes later, the home was on fire.
Another witness said she saw smoke coming from the residence and that she saw the defendant standing outside of the residence as well. She also said that she heard the male yelling for help inside the home.
Another witness said she had been with Rivers earlier, who said she wanted to go home and talk with her father. The court complaint goes on to say that Rivers was dropped off at around 2:18 p.m. and the witness left the house moments later.
Not long after, the male at the house called her back and said that Rivers was acting up and that he could hear her grabbing up laundry and bringing it downstairs. The call ended, but the victim called back minutes later to say he thought he could smell smoke.
Just minutes later, the victim called back and said he could smell smoke and that the smoke alarms were going off.
APD detectives made contact with Rivers at around 3:51 p.m. and noted that she appeared upset and was quiet.
Detectives learned that in the days leading up to the fire, officers had been called to the home with Rivers being sent to Mayo Clinic Health Systems-Austin. She was released on Feb. 3 and went back home.
That same day, the man reported concerns that Rivers hadn’t been taking her medications and that when she does that she can become violent and aggressive.
Rivers allegedly said that her father wasn’t respecting her and that she was getting irritable and upset with him. When asked by a detective if she started the fire, Rivers reportedly said “Yeah” and got more upset and then quiet.
According to the court complaint, Rivers told detectives that she used a piece of cardboard from a pizza box to light a rug and clothes that were on the floor.
When a detective talked to the father after the fire, he told him there had been several incidents in the days prior that caused him to not feel safe. At one point he supposedly had heard the defendant laughing and singing “fire” and “POPO fire.”
He also told the detective that he could feel heat and said he thought, “you either go for it or you’re going to die.” The man said he hung from the ledge and let go.
Rivers’ next court appearance is slated for 10 a.m. on Feb. 13.
