A fourth body has been recovered from the ruins of the Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos, following a massive fire at the complex Friday morning, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Officials updated the numbers at a late morning briefing at the San Marcos Recreation Center.
Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner says at least one person remains missing, and there may be more missing. He says because of the fact that the apartment was mainly for Texas State University Students, some students may not be living there during the summer, and others may have sublet their apartment and the name of that person may not show up on the records.
Kistner says the massive fire left behind a massive investigation.
"As of right now, I can promise you that we will at least be on the ground through Friday, and the investigation could continue for weeks and even months at the scene itself, even when there are no investigators on that scene," Kistner said.
He says his officers are questioning residents who were in the apartment early Friday when the fire broke out.
"We do not have an origin of the fire, we do not know where the fire started at this time. That is still part of the ongoing investigation," he said. "Since we do not know the origin, we do not know what caused this fire."
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has several agents on the scene, including some who worked on the Austin bombing case earlier this year. They say they have not determined whether the fire was accidental or arson.
The City of San Marcos says it is opening a resource center for the 200 or so people who were displaced by the fire, to provide guidance on services available.
Texas State University says it is also working with the families of the missing and the confirmed dead to help them through this difficult time.
San Marcos officials identified the five as: James Miranda, Haley Frizzell, Belinda Moats, David Ortiz, and Dru Estes. Officials have not yet said which are the four who are confirmed dead, and who remains missing. The Travis County Medical Examiner will identify the bodies and determine a cause of death.