Denton Man Faces Four Arson Charges After Deadly Fires

John Howard Ore, 36, has been charged with four counts of arson, including two counts of arson causing serious bodily injury or death, after allegedly setting three fires in Denton, Texas, between December 2024 and January 2025. The incidents include a fire at a restaurant on December 17, a fatal fire at a Houston Place home on December 18 that resulted in the deaths of Dante Bassi, 103, and Marilyn Bradley-Bassi, 83, and a fire at a daycare on January 21. The elderly couple rescued from the home later died in the hospital, and their deaths were ruled homicides by medical examiners. No injuries were reported in the restaurant or daycare fires. Investigators used video evidence and other collected materials to link Ore to all three incidents. Ore was arrested on January 23 and is being held in Denton County Jail on a $2.1 million bond, with additional charges filed after the homicide rulings.