Fire victim blames house guest for blaze

Charmia Robertson lost her dog, home to fire

SAN ANTONIO – A woman whose North Side apartment was heavily damaged by fire blames a house guest for purposely starting it.

Charmia Robertson said her dog was killed and most of what she owned was damaged or destroyed in the fire late Monday night inside her upstairs apartment in the 6000 block of Blanco Road.

Robertson said she had left the home prior to the fire starting after a man who was staying with her allegedly began assaulting her around 10 p.m.

"I have knots all over my head. I mean, bruises (on) my face, my head. It's all knotted up," she said.

Robertson said neighbors who heard the commotion called police. She said although she told officers about the assault, they did not arrest the man.

"Never mind that I had bumps and bruises and scratches all over me," she said. "Sure enough, 30 minutes later, my apartment was on fire."

Officer Douglas Greene, a spokesman for the San Antonio Police Department, said due to the circumstances, officers did not have a legal right to enter the home and go after the man.

He said that when they arrived, the man had locked himself inside the apartment. Because Robertson was outside, officers determined she was safe.

Arson investigators determined the fire was purposely set. At the scene, firefighters said that neighbors told them they saw the man running from the apartment just before they noticed the smoke.

As of early Tuesday afternoon, they had not made any arrests.


About the Author:

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.