Crash involving an ambulance leaves four people hospitalized
A possible drunk driver crashed into an ambulance Monday morning resulting in four people being hospitalized, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The San Antonio Fire Department posted photos to their Facebook page of the incident explaining that there were injuries, but no deaths.
mysanantonio.comFalse alarms cause headaches for SAFD during winter weather
These types of alarm calls increase during thunderstorms and have been triggered by this week's winter weather. Since Monday at midnight, the fire department has received more than 1,100 calls for automatic alarms, 50 of which required crews to respond, Arrington said. On the first day of the storms, Arrington said SAFD received 2,608 calls, three times its normal call volume. "So from that, you can see how taxing these false alarms can be on our department," Arrington said. Residents and businesses can help by working with their maintenance crews and their alarm companies to remedy the alarms, SAFD said.
mysanantonio.comSan Antonio Fire Department shares photo of truck accident
3 1 of 3 Ken Branca Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Screenshot from SAFD's Facebook Show More Show Less 3 of 3The San Antonio Fire Department shared a photo of a downed fire engine on Sunday morning. The department's post shared the need for San Antonians to stay home. "Last night, because of the ice, this happened. The storm is serious. Our life (and yours) are on the line," the post continued.
mysanantonio.comSAFD: Do not call 911 and try to schedule vaccine appointment for at-home option
Lisa Krantz /Staff photographerThe San Antonio Fire Department is urging residents to not call 911 to schedule their vaccine appointment. The warning comes after local officials announced in Monday's coronavirus news briefing that they are expecting to receive 1,000 vaccines a week dedicated to the insulation of home-bound seniors. However, this option is already pre-scheduled, SAFD said in a news release Monday.
mysanantonio.comBexar County shatters summer record for COVID-19 hospitalizations
click to enlarge Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Fire DepartmentWorkers at the Freeman Coliseum coronavirus testing site wave motorists through. Bexar County set a new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations Monday, soaring past a high recorded last summer, when state leaders shut down bars out of concern that the surge would overwhelm the medical system.As of Monday, 1,520 patients were under treatment in local hospitals for COVID-19, 437 of them in intensive care and 260 on ventilators. The current number of hospitalizations is 253 higher than the summer record, set in July.During Monday evening's pandemic briefing, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said local hospitals have brought in 1,400 nurses on a temporary basis to handle rising admissions.“Of course, the hospital numbers are really disturbing,” Wolff said. “It’s really taxing on the hospitals.”The county recorded an increase of 1,281 new cases Monday and three new deaths. The 7-day moving average of cases now stands at 2,028.News of the record hospitalizations came shortly after local officials announced that COVID-19 vaccine appointments for Monday at the Alamodome were pushed back to Wednesday due to a delay in drug shipments.
sacurrent.comA woman is accusing her boyfriend of setting a West Side home on fire during argument, officials say
A woman said her boyfriend set her West Side home on fire Thursday during an argument, the San Antonio Fire Department said. When firefighters arrived at the home in the 600 block of San Joaquin Avenue around midnight, the rear of the house was on fire.
mysanantonio.comSan Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg warns local hospitals being taxed by COVID-19 case increases
click to enlarge Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Fire DepartmentWorkers at the Freeman Coliseum coronavirus testing site wave motorists through. With COVID-19 cases still rising and available hospital beds dipping below 10%, Mayor Ron Nirenberg warned that San Antonio could be in for a grim winter.Bexar County reported 1,396 new cases and five new deaths Wednesday. The number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in local hospitals also increased by 26, hitting 826, and the availability of staffed beds fell below 9%.“Clearly, we’re seeing people get sick and people get severely sick because of COVID-19, and it’s impacting our hospitals,” Nirenberg said during Wednesday night's coronavirus briefing. "If that keeps up, it’s going to be a rough couple of months. Intensive care units in some parts of the state are at or near capacity, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
sacurrent.comSan Antonio area reports 888 new COVID-19 cases as Texas hospitalization numbers climb
click to enlarge Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Fire DepartmentWorkers at the Freeman Coliseum coronavirus testing site wave motorists through. San Antonio Metro Health reported 888 new COVID-19 cases in Bexar County on Sunday and no new deaths.Those numbers arrived as Texas reported 8,634 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, the state's highest number since early August. Total cases in the state are now just shy of 1.56 million, and 21,357 people have so far died.The new Bexar County cases bring the total number of local coronavirus infections to 80,057, which includes a backlog of 758 cases, according to Metro Health officials. The cumulative number of deaths in the county now stands at 1,357, which includes a backlog of 13.A total of 582 COVID-19 patients are now under care in Bexar County hospitals, 178 of those in intensive care and 96 on ventilators.
sacurrent.comHouse fires increase in San Antonio during Thanksgiving week. Here's how to keep safe.
Distracted cooking is one of the top causes of house fires in the city during the holiday season, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. During Thanksgiving week last year, the SAFD responded to 18 structure fires, five of which occurred on Thanksgiving Day. In 2018, there were 21 structure fires reported with three on Thanksgiving. Nationally in 2018, fire departments responded to over 1,600 fires on Thanksgiving, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. You also need to make sure turkey fryers have the proper amount of grease in the container, Arrington said.
mysanantonio.comSan Antonio area's COVID-19 positivity rate continues to climb, hitting 8.4% on Monday
click to enlarge Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Fire DepartmentWorkers at the Freeman Coliseum coronavirus testing site wave motorists through. In yet another warning sign Bexar County may be on the cusp of a COVID-19 surge, Mayor Ron Nirenberg revealed Monday evening that the weekly positivity rate has risen to 8.4% The new number reflects an unwelcome trend. After dipping below 5% in early October, local positivity rates have risen almost weekly.Public health officials set a positivity rate of 5% or lower as a benchmark to show the virus is under control. The positivity rate is the percentage of locally administered coronavirus tests that come back positive.On Monday, the county also recorded 417 new COVID-19 cases but no new deaths. The seven-day moving average of cases now stands at 234.Currently, 294 people are in local hospitals to treat coronavirus infections.
sacurrent.comMore than a dozen people had to be rescued form SeaWorld San Antonio roller coaster, officials said
John Davenport /San Antonio Express-NewsMore than a dozen guests had to be rescued from a SeaWorld San Antonio roller coaster on Sunday, the San Antonio Fire Department confirmed. Crews were called out to the amusement park for a technical rescue around 1 p.m. Officials said 13 people were stuck on the Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster ride.
mysanantonio.comLengthy rescue of riders stuck on rollercoaster at Sea World San Antonio caught on drone video
click image Twitter / SeaWorldTexasA photo of SeaWorld's Wave Breaker: Rescue Coaster taken just prior to its opening in 2017. CROSS ST: N ELLISON DR/DEAD END OUTDOOR EVENT FACILITIES — 🔥 SAFDᴀʟᴇʀᴛ (@safdalert) November 1, 2020VIDEO: It took San Antonio fire crews more than three hours to rescue these people stuck on the Wave Breaker: Rescue Coaster at SeaWorld. The San Antonio Fire Department was called to the park to aid in a technical rescue at around 1 p.m., according to a tweet by @SAFDalert NEWS4SA reporter Robert Price tweeted drone video of the ensuing rescue, which he said took place on the ironically named Wave Breaker: Rescue Coaster. "Yesterday at 12:51pm the Wave Breaker roller coaster stopped during the ride. "Consistent with our established safety protocols we worked with the San Antonio Fire Department to safely evacuate all guests on the ride," the statement continued.
sacurrent.comA woman and her dog die in a Northeast Side apartment fire, SAFD says
A woman and her dog died Thursday morning after a fire swept through her Northeast Side apartment, the San Antonio Fire Department said. According to Fire Chief Charles Hood, firefighters arrived at the Star Club Apartment Homes in the 8800 block of Starcrest Drive just after 9 a.m. to find a first-floor apartment completely engulfed with flames shooting out of the windows. Hood said firefighters had to break a window in order to to get water inside to cool it down before making entry. Yashika Clark was in her apartment, which sits behind the victim’s, and said her son smelled smoke during his online class. While she didn’t know the woman who died well, Clark said they would always wave and say good morning to each other while walking their dogs.
mysanantonio.comWhile San Antonio's COVID-19 hospitalizations plateau, Texas' numbers are rising once again
click to enlarge Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Fire DepartmentWorkers at the Freeman Coliseum coronavirus testing site wave motorists through. The same day, 4,319 patients were in hospitals across the state to treat COVID-19, a 12% increase from a week prior.COVID-19 hospitalizations have swept upward in El Paso, West Texas, the Panhandle and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to state data. The trend appears to be following epidemiologists' predictions of a fall second wave. "I’m no longer pondering if we’re going to see a surge," Dr. James McDeavitt, dean of clinical affairs at the Baylor College of Medicine, told the Texas Tribune . "COVID-19 hospitalizations are up by at least 5% in 37 states as of Sunday, according to a new CNBC analysis .
sacurrent.comSan Antonio firefighters battling 2 second-alarm structure fires
San Antonio firefighters are battling two second-alarm structure fires Thursday. On the Northeast Side, more than 30 units of the San Antonio Fire Department responded to the 12600 block of Uhr Lane shortly after 12:30 p.m.A patio fire spread to the apartment building, officials said. The second, small fire occurred on the 8700 block of Cinnamon Creek Drive on the Northwest Side. More than 20 units responded around 12:45 p.m. The fire was extinguished but since spread to walls, officials said.
mysanantonio.comMan smoking a cigarette while using an oxygen tank ignites apartment fire on Northeast Side
Man smoking a cigarette while using an oxygen tank ignites apartment fire on Northeast SideOne man had to be rescued from his burning home after a cigarette sparked a fire at a Northeast Side apartment. One man had to be rescued from his burning home after a cigarette sparked a fire at a Northeast Side apartment. Photo: Ken Branca Photo: Ken Branca Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Man smoking a cigarette while using an oxygen tank ignites apartment fire on Northeast Side 1 / 14 Back to GallerySan Antonio firefighters rescued an elderly man from a burning Northeast Side apartment that caught fire while he was smoking a cigarette, the San Antonio Fire Department said. The man was smoking just before 3 a.m. at his residence in the 100 block of Andrews Street while using his oxygen tank, which ignited the fire, officials at the scene said. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
mysanantonio.comWater leak at downtown Robert E. Lee apartments forces residents to evacuate
Water leak at downtown Robert E. Lee apartments forces residents to evacuateA water leak at a downtown apartment complex forced some residents to evacuate late Wednesday Aug. 19, 2020, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. A water leak at a downtown apartment complex forced some residents to evacuate late Wednesday Aug. 19, 2020, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. Photo: J.J. Trevino Photo: J.J. Trevino Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Water leak at downtown Robert E. Lee apartments forces residents to evacuate 1 / 9 Back to GalleryA water leak at a downtown apartment complex forced some residents to evacuate late Wednesday evening, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. The incident occurred around 11:45 p.m. at the Robert E. Lee apartment complex in the 100 block of East Travis Street, near Main Avenue and Flores Street. Fire officials evacuated some of the residents from their apartments so they could stop the leak safely, firefighters said.
mysanantonio.comSAFD battles multiple fires, water rescues as severe weather creates problems across the city
SAFD battles multiple fires, water rescues as severe weather creates problems across the citySan Antonio firefighters battled multiple blazes Sunday night and Monday morning May 25, 2020, as severe weather caused problems across the city. San Antonio firefighters battled multiple blazes Sunday night and Monday morning May 25, 2020, as severe weather caused problems across the city. Photo: Ken Branca Photo: Ken Branca Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close SAFD battles multiple fires, water rescues as severe weather creates problems across the city 1 / 29 Back to GalleryLighting may have caused a fire that completely destroyed a West Side residence Sunday night, San Antonio Fire Department said. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inboxIt took firefighters over an hour to get the fire under control and the home was a complete loss. They also were called for 23 high water investigations and had to conduct seven water rescues and three water evacuations due to the storms Sunday night.
mysanantonio.comHeated argument results in vehicle fire, injures couple on the South Side, firefighters say
SAN ANTONIO A heated argument resulted in a vehicle fire and two hospitalizations on the South Side overnight, according to San Antonio Fire Department. San Antonio police were initially called to the motel earlier in the day for a domestic disturbance. Officers said a couple was in a heated argument before the girlfriend left and the scene was clear. The boyfriend tried to stop her, but she was able to spark the gasoline, catching herself, her boyfriend and the vehicle on fire, according to San Antonio Fire Department. The couple was injured in the fire and both were taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center for treatment of burns.
Elderly man pulled from burning home on Far East Side
Elderly man pulled from burning home on Far East SideOne person was hospitalized after a house caught fire on the Far East Side Wednesday, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. One person was hospitalized after a house caught fire on the Far East Side Wednesday, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. Photo: Mark Dunphy Photo: Mark Dunphy Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Elderly man pulled from burning home on Far East Side 1 / 8 Back to GalleryOne person was hospitalized after a house caught fire on the Far East Side on Wednesday, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. They discovered an 86-year-old man and pulled him out of the fire. I saw the man being pulled out, Rivera said.
mysanantonio.comUpdate: Gas line explosion heard before house fire on East Side
Update: Gas line explosion heard before house fire on East SideSan Antonio Fire Department is looking into arson as the cause of a fire at an East Side duplex Sunday night. San Antonio Fire Department is looking into arson as the cause of a fire at an East Side duplex Sunday night. Photo: Ken Branca Photo: Ken Branca Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Update: Gas line explosion heard before house fire on East Side 1 / 17 Back to GalleryOne person was hospitalized after a gas line explosion started a fire at an East Side duplex Sunday night. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inboxFirefighters knocked down the fire quickly, but the building suffered damage and a patio had partially collapsed. CPS had to dig up the gas line to cap it and a small gas leak was allowed to burn while waiting on the excavation to prevent a larger gas leak.
mysanantonio.comSan Antonio Will Begin Offering COVID-19 Testing to People Without Symptoms
click to enlarge Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Fire DepartmentWorkers at the Freeman Coliseum coronavirus testing site wave motorists through. The city of San Antonio will begin testing asymptomatic people for COVID-19, dropping previous restrictions that required residents to have a fever, dry cough or other symptoms to qualify.Asymptomatic people can be tested for free at local health care providers, drive-thru locations and through the San Antonio Fire Departments Mobile Integrated Healthcare Program, according to a news release.It is important for the uninsured residents to know they also have access to testing at no charge and have resources to make sure they are healthy and are aware of services that are available in our city, Metro Health Director Dawn Emerick said in a written statement.Metro Health said medical professionals should use their judgment whether a patient faced potential exposure to COVID-19 and should be tested. The agency noted that not all people infected with the coronavirus display symptoms.San Antonio's expansion comes at Texas works to ramp up testing availability.The Lone Star State has one of the lowest per-capita testing rates. A little more than 500,000 Texans, or less than 2% of the population, have so far been tested for the disease, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
sacurrent.comWoman Pushing Shopping Cart Fatally Struck by Pickup Truck on Austin Highway, Police Say
click to enlarge ShutterstockA woman was hit and killed by a pickup truck on Austin Highway late Sunday night, authorities told KSAT The woman, 53, was walking on the 1750 block of Austin Highway where she was struck by a 1996 black Ford Ranger that was traveling northeast. She was pronounced dead at the scene.The San Antonio Police Department, San Antonio Fire Department and EMS all responded to the call.Police told KSAT the motorist couldn't see the woman because it was dark. The driver did however stop to help, and no charges are expected to be filed.The name of the woman has yet to be released, pending notification of next of kin.
sacurrent.comMassive fire destroys several family homes on the Northeast Side
Massive fire destroys several family homes on the Northeast SideA lightning strike is the likely cause of a second-alarm fire at an apartment complex early Tuesday, April 28, 2020, that destroyed several family homes on the Northeast Side, the San Antonio Fire Department said. less A lightning strike is the likely cause of a second-alarm fire at an apartment complex early Tuesday, April 28, 2020, that destroyed several family homes on the Northeast Side, the San Antonio Fire Department ... more Photo: Ken Branca Photo: Ken Branca Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Massive fire destroys several family homes on the Northeast Side 1 / 15 Back to GalleryA lightning strike is the likely cause of a second-alarm fire at an apartment complex early Tuesday that destroyed several family homes on the Northeast Side, the San Antonio Fire Department said. Residents were evacuated and eight units were destroyed by the fire. Officials said more than a dozen people, including some children, were displaced from their homes, but housed in other units in the complex for the night. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
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