SAN ANTONIO – A woman accused of setting a North Side office building on fire earlier this month has been identified and arrested, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
Sally Norwood Blecher, 53, was booked Thursday into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on an arson charge, which is considered a second-degree felony. Blecher has since been released on bond, jail records show.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by TheTXLoop, investigators believe Blecher intentionally set fire to a second-floor office she shares with her husband on May 6 located in the 8600 block of Broadway.
A ‘contentious divorce’
While the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) battled the fire, an SAPD detective, who had just arrived on scene, saw a man talking to SAFD arson investigators and started a conversation with him. The man, authorities said, identified himself as Blecher’s husband.
He told the detective that he was in the middle of a “contentious divorce” with Blecher, documents show.
The two were in a therapist appointment with one of his teenage daughters earlier in the day.
According to the suspect’s husband, Blecher “showed up angry” and initiated a “verbal altercation” that prompted the therapist to eventually ask Blecher to leave.
The man also told police that Blecher sent other members of the family alarming messages that caused them to “raise concern for her safety.” The family set out to find Blecher, but no one knew where she was.
One of the man’s daughters had an idea, according to Blecher’s arrest warrant: use a combination of location services on the suspect’s phone and vehicle “to narrow down” her likely “location.” Police said the suspect’s husband had another idea: Blecher may be at their shared company office suite located on Broadway.
What sparked the fire
The suspect’s husband told the detective that he pulled out his cellphone and accessed security cameras previously installed at the North Side office via a mobile app. According to an arrest warrant, the footage showed Blecher starting a fire inside the office.
The SAPD detective, who then reviewed the security footage, saw Blecher strike what appeared to be multiple matches and use the “open flame” to set a couch in the office on fire, the warrant states.
According to the detective’s account of watching the video, Blecher left the room briefly before returning with two aluminum cans with liquid inside. The suspect opened one of the cans and poured the liquid onto the fire.
Moments later, documents indicate Blecher walked out of the office and the building where she met the first police officers and fire crews on scene.
While she was being treated for her injuries, Blecher allegedly admitted to first responders that she started the fire. She also admitted to taking an unknown number of pills “due to having thoughts of self-harm,” SAPD said. Blecher was later transported to a local hospital for further treatment.
After conducting multiple interviews and studying the fire, investigators determined that the fire was intentionally set. In addition to her husband, police said neighboring occupants in the building recognized Blecher.
Court records show Blecher is expected to make her next court appearance on Aug. 26.
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