SAN ANTONIO – Adolph "Lucky" Macias has lost his South Side home to an early morning fire, but he still feels as though he's living up to his nickname.
His two Pitbulls, whom he calls his best friends, have come back to him after he feared he might have lost them in the fire too.
"The back door was open and they ran out," Macias said, later, through a wide grin.
Like his pets, Macias also found his way out when his home went up in flames around 4:30 a.m. Thursday.
Neighbors called San Antonio firefighters to the 600 block of Collingsworth Avenue after hearing a loud boom and noticing flames.
"I could've thought, ‘Gunshots!'" said 14-year-old Sierra Fuentes, who lives across the street. "And then my mom woke up because we heard it again and she (said), 'Lucky's house is on fire.'"
Fuentes said she looked outside and saw sparks and flames.
Then her mind went to Macias, who she feared might still be inside.
"I didn't want him to be in the house. He doesn't mean any harm to anybody. He's a good man," Fuentes said.
As luck would have it, "Lucky" was already safe outside.
His dogs, however, were nowhere to be found.
Hours later, firefighters found them cowering in some heavy brush nearby.
They said the animals appeared to be shaken up, but otherwise were OK.
Macias' home, though, sustained heavy damage.
Firefighters said the fire had a head start because, before anyone called 911, Macias had spent time trying to put out the fire with a garden hose.
Investigators said they believe the fire was started by an electrical problem, possibly in a ceiling fan.
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