SAN ANTONIO – A West Bexar County woman is recovering from minor burns after a fire heavily damaged the home she shared with her children.
The fire broke out shortly before 11 p.m. on Tuesday, just as people in the 11400 block of Buffalo Horn were settling in for the night.
"We were in the back bedroom and we heard a bang," Joe Santos said. "I jumped and I said, 'There's something going on.'"
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Santos said within a few minutes, he noticed fire coming from the back side of the house next door.
The neighbor who lives there made a quick exit along with four children, Santos said.
As the fire grew, Santos and his family did the same, worried that the fire might spread.
"The back part of the house, smoke was barreling out of there. And so I got everybody out of (my) house," Santos said.
For his wife, Maryann, the fire was a painful reminder of a situation they faced in their own home just five years ago, when the fire spread through their attic.
"I panicked. I got scared 'cause I said, 'Oh, Jesus. Not again,'" Maryann said. "The little kids, they had blankets trying to stay warm 'cause it was cold.'"
The neighbors made it out of the home, but not before the woman suffered burns.
"She had second-degree burns on her hands and I gave her lotion for her hands," Joe Santos said.
Investigators said it appears the fire was caused by a candle that was left burning in a bathroom.
The estimated damage to the home is about $125,000.