Texas governor's mansion set ablaze by arsonist

June 16, 2008
Lawyer for state troopers says security system was not working

A lawyer for Texas state troopers says a security system intended to detect intruders at the governor's mansion wasn't working the night that an arsonist set fire to the building.

The system was supposed to sound an alarm to troopers stationed in a carriage house behind the mansion if someone got over the property walls.

The Department of Public Safety cut back its security at the 152-year-old mansion last year after Gov. Rick Perry and his wife moved out at the start of a $10-million renovation job.

Only one trooper was on duty when the fire broke out June 8, causing extensive damage.

State officials said last week that security cameras captured images of someone lighting an object and throwing it on the front porch.