by MIDLOTHIAN, TX — A Texas family of six, including a 1-year-old child, narrowly escaped a house fire last Tuesday after a hooded arsonist doused their porch in gasoline and set it ablaze while they slept, according to home security footage.
Darryl Wilson, 52, and his wife Wahsheida had all their adult children home for summer break when the attack occurred around 1 a.m. Their 21-year-old daughter, Malia Rivera, was awake when the front stoop caught fire. She saw the motion-sensor lights trigger and rushed downstairs to investigate, discovering flames threatening to enter the living room.
Malia immediately called 911 and woke her parents. “She came running in there and said, ‘The house is on fire,’” Darryl told CBS News. “I was shocked. I’m like, this can’t be real.” Wahsheida added, “Who would do this? We keep to ourselves.”
The family attempted to extinguish the flames using water and pots before firefighters arrived. Security footage later revealed a hooded man pouring gasoline on the porch and fleeing the scene.
Thankfully, all six family members escaped unharmed, but the incident left them deeply shaken. Wahsheida told Fox 4, “Your intentions… were to kill us. You have no soul. You’re a heartless person.”
The family has since established a night rotation, keeping watch from home cameras to ensure safety. “Someone sleeps, someone gets up to be on watch,” Wahsheida said.
“My kids don’t want to stay. My wife doesn’t want to stay. You know, they’re traumatized. It’s a hurting thing for someone to come to my home and do that. And I feel helpless as a father,” Darryl told Fox 4.
Authorities are continuing to search for the suspect, and the family hopes the person responsible will be caught and brought to justice.
