SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio fire investigators say they believe an early morning fire that started at a former Southwest Side car lot was definitely arson.
The fire was called in just before 8 a.m. Monday at Tricolor Auto in the 2700 block of Southwest Military Drive, not far from South Zarzamora Street and Interstate 35.
Recommended Videos
A battalion chief with the San Antonio Fire Department said construction workers saw someone leave the building just before the fire started.
Firefighters say homeless people have often been staying in the vacant building and that to them it is clear someone purposely started the fire. The fire is the third they’ve had in the last couple of months, fire officials said.
The battalion chief said after the last fire the building owner did a good job of boarding the building up but someone ripped open the door and went inside. Firefighters had some concerns about the roof possibly coming down, but it did not collapse.
Firefighters now say the concern is the front wall, which is a bit weak from the fire. No injuries were reported in the fire.
According to the San Antonio Fire Department website, as many as 15 units answered the call. The investigation is ongoing, fire officials said.