SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio family is left with only the clothes on their backs after a fire next door spread to their house.
San Antonio firefighters were called to the 2500 block of Steves Avenue shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday for a house fire. When crews arrived, they found the fire had spread to a second home next door.
FIRST REPORT: Two homes damaged in fire on Southeast Side
Michael Guerrero lived in the second home. He was leaving for work when he smelled the smoke and looked up to see the flames on his neighbor’s carport, eventually spreading to his home. He ran inside the house to get his wife and elderly father out.
“I said, 'Put on your robe. Just get out.' So she got out,” he said. “I opened the room door, and I just saw the flame. It wasn’t inside the house. It was still outside, but you could see it through the curtains. I already knew it wasn’t going to be good.”
Guerrero said it only took about 10 minutes for the fire to destroy the inside of his home. He tried to get as much as he could out of the house before firefighters arrived.
Guerrero had lived in the home for about 11 years. He believes forgetting his phone and having to return home to get it was a godsend.
“God knows what would have happened if I didn’t come back,” he said.
The San Antonio Fire Department said the fire originated in the corner of the home next door. Officials said the damage was so intense that crews have not been able to identify what might have sparked it.
The Guerrero family said they will be staying with loved ones, but they need help with a few items for the time being to help them get by.
- Women’s clothing: Large in shirts; size 8 pants
- Hygiene products
- Men’s clothing: Extra-large in shirts; 38-waist pants
- Clothing for 17-year-old boy: Small in shirts and shorts; 28x30 pants
Donation items can be dropped off at 2517 Steves Avenue.