Fire damages two homes on near northwest side of San Antonio

Fire broke in 1300 block of West Woodlawn

A fire damaged two homes on the city's near Northwest Side Monday afternoon.

The fire started around 1:40 p.m. in the 1300 block of West Woodlawn Avenue, according to San Antonio Fire Department spokesman Christian Bove.

Arson investigators were looking for clues but hadn't yet determined what sparked the flames.

"Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from one building and by the time firefighters had arrived on scene, those flames had already spread to a neighboring home," Bove said.

Fire officials said the fact that the homes are so close together and are older wooden structures helped those flames spread.

Investigators said it appears the fire started in the attic of the first home, causing significant damage to the roof and the interior of the home.

The flames spread to the second home and were knocked down quickly but still caused some minor exterior damage.

One witness said he was driving by and stopped because he was worried about his friend who lives at the second home.

He was surprised by how quickly those flames spread.

"It was horrible, just to think that they could lose everything," Juan Cantu said. "The house went up just like if you had gasoline on the wall. It just went on quickly but they were able to stop it right away thank goodness."

Bove said no one was home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries reported. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.