SAN ANTONIO – A house fire on the North Side is being investigated as arson, and firefighters are investigating if the man found dead inside intentionally set the fire.
The fire started around 7:30 p.m. Monday in the 3700 block of Chartwell Drive, not far from Wurzbach Road.
Officers were called to the home after a woman reported flames coming from a back house at the residence.
SAPD said that the woman believed her son — who police identified in the report as a suspect — was inside where the fire was.
The report said that officers attempted to contact the man multiple times as the fire grew. However, the house caught on fire, and the 54-year-old man was later found dead inside after crews put out the flames, according to police.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it appears to have been intentionally started by the man, according to SAFD.
The man’s name, cause and manner of death are pending from the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Officers had been at the home earlier on Monday for a gun disturbance and attempted to contact the suspect multiple times, but were unsuccessful, the report states. Police said that the suspect was the one who had reported the disturbance.
Three dogs were safely removed from the home, officials said, and one firefighter was evaluated for minor heat exhaustion. No other injuries were reported.
The home sustained significant damage, officials said. A nearby home also suffered minor damage.
According to police, officers had been called to the property 11 times since Jan. 1, aside from Monday’s fire. Two of the calls involved a disturbance, and two others were listed as a burglary in progress.
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