SAN ANTONIO – Two and a half weeks ago, an RV exploded in the 4000 block of Mystic Sunrise on the Northeast Side.
The fire damaged two homes and injured a father and son.
Now, the two are recovering and speaking out about the few things they have left: family, community and a will to rebuild.
"I usually warm up the RV every month with my son," said Roy Fernandez Sr.
However, on April 27, a routine turned into a disaster.
"I heard the engine backfire. When it backfired, gas and fire came out of the carburetor. It just kind of exploded and I tried to get out. I don't know if I fell out," he said.
His 17-year-old son, Roy Fernandez Jr., got out of the RV quickly, but badly burned his fingers.
"I burned three. These two are still damaged pretty well. I can move them fine, it's just that they hurt," he said.
The elder Fernandez landed on his knee, tearing his ACL, but said it could have been much worse if it weren't for neighbors.
"They had called 911 and I don't know who the people were that helped pull me out and get my son out of here, but I remember someone dragging me across the street," he said.
He said he remembers watching the fire destroy most of their house, and their neighbor's house.
The entire house has some kind of damage from either fire, smoke or water. The main fire damage is upstairs where the three kids' rooms used to be. Those rooms are now charred and ruined.
The family has been told it will be six to nine months before the outside of the house can be reconstructed and the family can even be close to moving back in.
None of it is easy, but the community is helping lessen the emotional and financial burdens.
"We've been getting lots of help from neighbors, school, friends and family. I can't express the amount of gratitude and thankfulness I have for them," Roy Fernandez Jr. said.