SAN ANTONIO – A resident on the North Side is starting her Memorial Day displaced from her home and mourning the loss of one of her dogs after an early morning fire.
The fire happened in the 1500 block of West Ridgewood Court near 1-10 and Hildebrand Avenue.
Flames took over the front of the home around 3 a.m. The San Antonio Fire Department responded with 13 units. The homeowner said the fire escalated quickly after she saw the flames start in her bedroom.
“I was awake. It happened right next to my bed,” the home owner Marilea Price said.
She was able to get out uninjured along with her three dogs. But her 15-year-old dog Brenda got caught in the flames, by. By the time firefighters were able to get inside the home, they found the dog dead.
“I'm heartbroken about my dog,” Price said.
Battalion Chief Stephen Ruston said the large amount of items inside the home made it difficult to initially knock down the flames.
“The interior of the house was kind of built up with content so that made the initial search effort and firefight a bit of a struggle,” Battalion Chief Ruston said.
He said the homeowner will be displaced for some time since the front of the home is destroyeD. Firefighters were able to save part of the back of the house.
“It's definitely unlivable for tonight and probably in the near future,” Ruston said. “It's heavy fire damage to the whole front of the house. It's probably repairable but it's going to take quite a while.”
Volunteers with the Red Cross were also at the home assisting the homeowner during her time of need. Arson investigators are investigating the cause of the fire.