Vacant house on West Side goes up in flames in early-morning fire

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio fire investigators are working to determine the cause of a fire at a vacant home on the city’s West Side early Tuesday morning.

The fire was called in by SAPD officers just after 4 a.m. at a home in the 700 block of South San Augustine Avenue, not far from South General McMullen and Castroville Road.

Firefighters said when they arrived they found the vacant home on fire. They fought the fire defensively and from the outside and were able to put the fire out quickly.

Fire officials said no one currently lives there and that the home has no working utilities. They believe squatters may have started the fire, although police did not see anyone in the area when they arrived and noticed the fire.

The SAFD did say they’ve had a lot of vacant house fires recently. No injuries were reported.

The exact cause of the fire is not currently known. A damage estimate to the house was not given.