Couple escapes apartment fire with 1-year-old daughter

SAN ANTONIO – A family is without a home after they woke up to flames in their apartment on the West Side Sunday morning.

The San Antonio Police Department and the San Antonio Fire Department were called to Oaks of West Lake apartments in the 5100 block of Hunt Lane around 4:30 a.m.

Gilbert Martinez said he and his family woke up to a frightening scene.

“Me and my fiancee were asleep and she woke me up freaking out, and I looked over my right -- so you look at the socket and it was on fire,” Martinez said. “First thing I did was unplugged what was in there, grabbed my daughter and ran out.”

Martinez said his family was the first thing that came to mind when he saw the flames.

“'Man, I hope my daughter is alright,' that is the first thing that came into my mind, was my little girl,” Martinez said. 

The family said it’s mostly structural damage and whatever was near the socket that was burned, but it doesn’t matter to them, they just cared about getting their 1-year-old daughter out safely.

They're staying in a sample unit at their complex, waiting to see what's next.

“Just got to keep moving forward. Everything happens for reason,” Martinez said. “Unfortunately this happened, but just gotta move forward and everything will work out for the best.”

Martinez said things lost in the fire aren't really important.

He is only worried about one thing.

“As long as my daughter's fine, as long as my fiancee is fine, we will be alright,” Martinez said.


About the Author:

Max Massey is the GMSA weekend anchor and a general assignments reporter. Max has been live at some of the biggest national stories out of Texas in recent years, including the Sutherland Springs shooting, Hurricane Harvey and the manhunt for the Austin bomber. Outside of work, Max follows politics and sports, especially Penn State, his alma mater.