‘Stubborn’ house fire on East Side challenging for firefighters

The San Antonio Fire Department needed more than 20 units to battle a house fire east of downtown.

Crews arrived at the home around 1:30 p.m. to find heavy flames coming out of the first and second floors of the home, said SAFD spokesman Joe Arrington.

One woman was rescued from the home and transported to the hospital with severe burns to her legs and feet. Arrington said she had gone back inside to rescue the family’s cat and dog. Both pets were able to escaped the fire.

Once firefighters arrived, they immediately went into defensive mode to fight the challenging fire. Arrington said the large, heavy roof of the older home collapsed and blocked water from getting in.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

“It’s a stubborn fire,” Arrington said. “These old houses in this neighborhood are built very well.”

Firefighters also needed to be mindful of the outside temperatures. San Antonio was once again hit with triple-digit heat.

Benjamin Smith stood across the street as he watched his next door neighbor’s home burn.

“I was taking a nap and heard the horns outside, it was a fiery wake-up call,” Smith said.

Firefighters eventually evacuated Smith, who only had time to grab a pair of keys. They kept Smith’s home safe with a curtain of water between the burning home and his.

“It all happened so quick, I get out and the heat was just stupendous,” Smith said. “I could just feel the flames roaring.”

Arrington said it will take several hours to get the fire fully contained.

Because crews haven’t been able to get inside of the house, officials don’t know what caused the fire. An arson investigator was on the scene as a precaution, but Arrington said so far nothing seems suspicious about the fire.

Heavy smoke cloaked the area as the fire burned, but Arrington assured it wasn’t hazardous smoke burning.

“We don’t recommend standing in it, especially if you have respiratory issues, but it is just timber smoke,” Arrington said.

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | [email protected] | @TaylorPettaway