SAN ANTONIO – Federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are taking the lead in the investigation involving a series of fires at a Far West Side fast-food restaurant.
The Sonic restaurant at Marbach Road near Loop 1604 is closed indefinitely after a Monday morning fire totaled the inside of the restaurant. Another fire on Nov. 19 shut the restaurant down for a few hours.
The store opened just two months ago and employs more than 55 people.
An ATF spokesperson said the agency is working every lead and trying to determine if the fires were accidental, undetermined or incendiary.
In a statement, a Sonic spokesperson said they are thankful no one was hurt:
"The franchisee who owns and operates this drive-in is working with local officials and his insurance company to determine the extent of the damage. Once that is determined, a timeline for reopening the drive-in will be established. Crew members are being provided support while the drive-in is closed, and some crew members will temporarily work at other nearby drive-ins.”
Nearby residents and customers who tried to get their Sonic fix on Wednesday are upset. They say the restaurant has been pretty popular because there aren’t many choices in the area.
Tony Gomez said he’s visited the restaurant many times since it opened two months ago.
“We love Sonic. We're customers of Sonic for many, many years. But too bad somebody burned it,” Gomez said.
The franchisee is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone who knows anything is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867.