SAN ANTONIO – A duplex fire north of downtown that displaced seven people Tuesday morning is believed to have been intentionally set, according to San Antonio firefighters.
Arson investigators are looking into the cause of the fire, which was reported around 4:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Marshall Street.
Firefighters were not able to immediately determine whether someone intentionally set the fire or started it accidentally. They said there didn't appear to be anything in the area that could have ignited it.
The fire started in the yard of a home that had no working electricity, then spread to a wooden fence and jumped to the duplex next door, firefighters said.
Robert Ramos said his girlfriend was the first person to notice the fire. She was awake because of her allergies.
"She has sinus problems, and she has to wake up constantly throughout the (night) to blow her nose," he said. "We were lucky. I was lucky for my girlfriend to be right next to me, or I would have probably slept right through it."
Ramos, his girlfriend and five other people, including two babies who live in the duplex, made it out safely.
Firefighters had to force their way into the attic to reach the flames.
Damage to the duplex was estimated at around $10,000.