HOUSE UNDER RENOVATION DESTROYED — Businessman Joe J. Garcia inspects the rubble left from a blaze early Friday morning. Garcia said he feels the fire was arson and has announced a $500 reward for information concerning the destruction of his property at 1223 E. Ave. B. (Photo by Gloria Bigger-Cantu) Businessman Joe J. Garcia found his property in rubble after a blaze disintegrated the structure in an early Friday morning blaze.

The destroyed house resulted in a $10,000 loss for Garcia who was told by Kingsville Fire Department officials that a “suspicious” fire caused the blaze.

As far as he is concerned, the fire is arson, and he will give anyone a $500 reward for identifying the culprits.

“Everybody knows it is arson because there is no electricity and no water,” Garcia said Saturday of the unoccupied house located at 1223 E. Ave. B.

Garcia had been refurbishing the house with new walls, floors, new paint about a year and half and had planned to move it to one of his properties on Yoakum Street.

The one bedroom house was not insured because he was still working on it.

He said one of the neighbors called him at 4:20 a.m. to tell him about the fire and he soon arrived on the scene and saw his property engulfed in flames.

“One of the police officers told me he could see the fire from the Police Department that is at least a mile away,” said Garcia, a long time businessman, who owns Joe’s Trucking.

He has no idea who could have caused the fire but suspects flammable materials were probably poured inside the structure.

Nothing is salvageable and what remains will go to the landfill.

“If I have any enemies they need to step forward; they do not need to be burning my property down,” he said.