Woman says neighbor was 'on fire, head to toe' outside West Bexar County home

Victim yelled, 'The demons need to get out,' neighbor said

SAN ANTONIO – A woman is being treated for serious burns that she apparently suffered after the garage in her home went up in flames in West Bexar County Tuesday morning.

The fire broke out around 8 a.m. in the 13300 block of Bald Mountain Drive.

Rose Garcia and her daughter were returning to their home after dropping off Garcia's grandchildren at school when they noticed the unusual and disturbing sight -- a woman engulfed in flames, standing inside the burning garage.

"Her underwear and her shorts were smoking, you know? She caught on fire head to toe," Garcia said. "We told her to roll. She rolled in the driveway, and my daughter talked her out, 'To the left. To the left.'"

RELATED: Neighbor returns home to find woman next door 'on fire, head to toe,' helps put fire out

Garcia said the image was haunting, but the woman’s words were equally as disturbing.

"We were, like, shocked and she kept saying, 'The demons need to get out,'" she said.

Paramedics rushed the woman to a hospital for treatment.

Early on, fire investigators said they had no information on her at all, although neighbors say she told them she is 37 years old.

Investigators also were not able to determine the cause of the fire right away.

Division Chief Rudy Khalaf, with Bexar County Fire District 2, said it appears to have started in the garage.

"Nothing else in the house was on fire except the garage," Khalaf said. "The house is vacant inside. It looks like maybe somebody just moved in or they're just moving out."

Neighbors say they recognized the woman as someone who lives in the home.

Bexar County sheriff’s deputies and fire officials later roped off the home, calling it a crime scene.

The fire is under investigation by the Bexar County fire marshal.


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.

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