SAN ANTONIO – A two-alarm fire at a Northwest Side apartment complex forced residents to evacuate and left eight families without a home.
Firefighters responded to the Barcelo Apartments in the 3500 block of Pin Oak Drive, near the Loop 410, I-10 interchange at about 5 p.m.
"My neighbor just knocked (on) the door really hard screaming and I opened it and she said (there was) a fire. So when I opened (the door) I just saw a lot of smoke," said apartment resident Nancy Ovideo.
Ovideo rushed to get out, leaving everything behind except her most precious possessions.
"Thank God. I just grabbed my keys, put my kids in the car and just run out," Ovideo said.
The cause of the fire is unknown but firefighters said it started in a second story apartment.
"There was 16 units in total in this building. We evacuated all occupants of all of the units," said Acting Battalion Chief Michael Wagner.
No one was injured in the fire. Fire officials estimate the total damage at about $100,000.
The families left with nowhere to go will depend on the Red Cross and apartment management to help them find a place to sleep.