Door inside garage kept fire from spreading to home, firefighters say

Cause of fire still unknown

SAN ANTONIO – A door inside the garage of a Northeast Side home made all the difference when fire broke out early Thursday morning, according to San Antonio firefighters.

They say it stopped the flames from spreading into the home.

Firefighters received the call that the attached garage was on fire around 4:30 a.m.

Northeast Side family displaced after early morning garage fire

Firefighters kept the flames from spreading but smoke poured into the home on Emden Hollow. (KSAT 12 News)

They raced to the scene in the 4700 block of Emden Hollow and found out that everyone in the home already had found a way out.

“Three people, a cat and a dog. Everybody got out OK, safely,” said Battalion Chief Brooke Hildreth with SAFD. “The homeowners heard popping, thought it was thunder. Got up. Came outside. Saw smoke coming out of the garage.”

The smoke also spread into the home, itself.

At one point when it got into the attic, firefighters had to use a saw to open up that area and allow it to vent.

This truck is one of the two vehicles in the driveway that got scorched by the fire in the garage. (KSAT 12 News)

Two vehicles that were parked in the driveway, a car and pickup, got too close to the fire and were damaged.

Firefighters, though, managed to keep the flames out of the house.

Hildreth said once the electricity is restored, the family should be able to move back into the home.

Still unknown is how the fire started.

“We’re looking into it right now to figure out what started it,” Hildreth said. “They have some appliances in there so we’re looking at that right now.”

Firefighters estimated the damage at about $60,000.


About the Authors:

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.

Tim has been a photojournalist and video editor at KSAT since 1998. He came to San Antonio from Lubbock, where he worked in TV and earned his bachelor's degree in Electronic Media and Communication from Texas Tech University. Tim has won a handful of awards and has earned a master's in Strategic Communication and Innovation from Tech as well.