SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – A San Antonio family’s stay at a beach resort in South Padre Island took quite the unexpected turn on Saturday after a massive fire broke out at a nearby condominium complex.
Reynaldo Gutierrez, his wife and their 14-year-old daughter were staying at the Beach Resort At South Padre Island when they witnessed the massive fire at the Gulfpoint Condominiums building around 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
The resort’s electricity was shut down, storms were rolling in and Gutierrez said his family was struck with fear at the sight of the building being engulfed in flames.
“They were scared and I don’t blame them... It was something you don’t see often. Hopefully no one got hurt," Gutierrez said to KSAT 12 in a statement.
Storms came into the area around the same time as the fire and Gutierrez said despite the heavy rainfall, the flames were still resilient.
“It was raining hard, but amazingly, the fire was not being extinguished,” Gutierrez said. “It was weird! I’ve never seen fire react to rain like (that)... It was very windy, so that was a perfect ingredient for this stubborn fire.”
Posted by Duane Looka on Saturday, May 16, 2020
The building was destroyed in the fire, with damages estimated at around $7 million, according to a previous report.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown and no injuries were reported.
Report: Massive fire destroys condominium complex on South Padre Island