Man sees childhood home go up in flames

Family of 4 that lives in home now made it out without injury

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A man turned on the news Wednesday to see the South Bexar County home at which he grew up in flames.

The call for a fire came out around 4:30 p.m. after someone passing by the house on U.S. 281 and Big Oak Drive noticed the roof was on fire.

"When I saw the Sky 12 footage, I told my wife, ‘That's our old house,’” Ronny Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said he still feels a connection to his late father when he thinks about the good memories made in the home, even though his mother sold the house to a family of four just three years ago.

"My father built this house back in 1965. We moved into it soon as it was built,” Rodriguez said. 

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office said a mother, a father and their 4- and 1-year-old children living in the house found out it was on fire Wednesday afternoon. A passerby knocked on the door to say he saw smoke coming from the roof.

The owner tried to hose the roof down himself as his wife called 911, but the flames grew. The aftermath sparked not so pleasant memories for Rodriguez.

"There was a minor fire that occurred when we had Christmas lights on the roof edge. They were the old-fashioned, the kind that would get really hot,” Rodriguez said.

Investigators are looking into how the fire started. They said the current owner told them he could hear animals moving around in the attic, and it's possible that one of them chewed through electrical wiring.

The house now has extensive damage to the roof and attic, but no one was hurt.

"I hope that they can rebuild because it's got a lot of great memories in it,” Rodriguez said. 

The Red Cross has stepped in to help the family that lives in the house. Right now, they're staying in a hotel. Investigators said the house can be repaired. 


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