COLLINSVILLE – A local man charged with causing fire damage to a building in Collinsville is now in Illinois state custody.
Jose L. Madriz, 41, of Granite City, was charged with a Class 2 felony count of arson on Sept. 8, 2026.
Madriz is accused of knowingly damaging a commercial building located at 3125 Fairmont Avenue in Collinsville by means of fire or explosive without the property owner’s consent on Sept. 6, 2026.
According to the state’s petition to deny pretrial release for Madriz, officers responded to a report of a fire and observed a “small fire at the exterior wall of a commercial building.”
The petition states Madriz was shown on surveillance video approaching a pile of fabric and trash near the building and igniting it with a lighter. The fire was later found to have “charred the exterior of the structure, with smoke and heat damage apparent” before the fire could be extinguished.
“As officers continued to investigate a series of similar fires in the area, defendant was located nearby, wearing the same clothing as seen on video surveillance,” the petition states. “He was found still in possession of the lighter.”
The Illinois State Fire Marshal presented the case against Madriz to Madison County prosecutors. Madriz remains in Illinois Department of Corrections custody and is currently in reception status at the Graham Reception & Classification Center in Hillsboro, Ill.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
