SAN ANTONIO – Firefighters battled a large grass fire in south Bexar County Tuesday afternoon.
About 30 SAFD units were dispatched to Highway 281 South near Mission Grande and Del Lago Parkway.
The fire burned dangerously close to the Villa Espada Apartments.
“See look, they’ve got more fire extinguishers because they’re trying to put this part out,” Levi Holden said in a recorded video.
The video shows neighbors working together to extinguish a fence on fire.
“I was scared. I was nervous at the same time but I tried to do what I could do prevent the fire from coming through the building,” Brianna Bonilla, another apartment resident said.
She was one of the people who grabbed extinguishers and hoses to save their home.
“I saw everybody running, panicking. Going to the front,” Bonilla explained.
Apartment management sent residents an email that stated “Please vacate property due to fire.”
At approximately 6 p.m., a San Antonio Fire Department spokesperson told KSAT Highway 281 was shut down in both directions by SAPD and BCSO. The smoke was so thick, it was having an impact on driving conditions.
Bonilla says her neighbors are shaken up but they’re thankful it wasn’t worse.
“Hopefully it never has to come to this again,” Bonilla said.
One person has been injured, although it’s unclear if the injury is smoke-related or a traffic accident.
Right now, it’s unclear what sparked the fire.