SAN ANTONIO – A man has died following a fire at his home on the West Side on Tuesday morning, according to the San Antonio Fire Department.
The fire was reported just after 6:30 a.m. in the 1400 block of San Andreas St., not far from Culebra and Callaghan roads.
SAFD Battalion Chief Keith Crusrus said when firefighters arrived, they saw smoke coming from the home and found the homeowner unconscious in a hallway.
They immediately started CPR outside, but the man died from smoke inhalation and fire burns, according to SAFD. He has not been identified.
Joy Salazar lives next door to the man who died.
”I called him this morning to check on him and he didn’t answer,” Salazar said.
When he didn’t answer she walked outside to see smoke coming from his house and called 911.
She said this isn’t the first time her neighbor, who was in his 80s, had a fire at his home in recent months.
”I know that last time something happened to him, he wasn’t allowed to use the stove or anything so we’ve been taking him stuff to eat but I don’t know if he was trying to keep warm and turned it on to keep warm or what really happened,” Salazar said.
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control, and they believed it started in the living room. While the extent of the damage isn’t visible from the outside, firefighters said the flamers were intense enough to kill the homeowner.
”There’s a lot of fire, a lot of heat,” Crusrus said. “A lot of smoke, so definitely if you couldn’t get out, you’re in trouble.”
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