Officials with the San Antonio Fire Department says the 84-year-old man’s body was found inside the home.
SAN ANTONIO — An 84-year-old man was found dead inside on the southeast side of San Antonio early Wednesday morning, after first responders extinguished flames that engulfed his home.
The San Antonio Fire Department responded to the fire on the 500 block of Schley Avenue around 6:28 a.m., arriving to large flames.
Relatives of the man who lived there, whom loved ones identified as Robert Gonzalez, arrived quickly at the home, built in 1904. According to Assistant Fire Chief Stephen Ruston, crews eventually found Gonzalez’s body in a back bedroom where it appears the fire may have originated.
Officials say the damage to the home is significant, but could not give a monetary estimate on the damages. It was mostly smoke in the front of the home and the fire was in the back of the home.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A deadly stretch
It’s been a deadly 48 hours in Bexar County: Three lives have been lost in house fires in the area in that span of time.
Wednesday’s blaze on Schley was similar to a Tuesday situation along Montemuza on the west side, where neighbors said they tried to save Gregorio Valdez, an amputee in a wheelchair. But the heat was too intense.
A ruling hasn’t been made on the cause of that fire.
On Monday, in south Bexar County, officials said an 11-year-old boy whose name hasn’t been released was found dead in the remains of his charred home along Spanish Grant Road. Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked that fire as well.
But with more brutal cold coming early next week, fire officials are reminding residents to keep flammables away from space heaters and not to use extension cords to power those heaters.
“This is unfortunately a reality of when these cold temperatures settle in our area,” Ruston said. “The thing we really have to hammer in for everybody: Look out for your loved ones, your family. Make sure your smoke detectors work, make sure they’re present. It’s important to just check those as often as you can, make sure that they function and that they’re in the appropriate areas of the house.”
Find more information on how to stay safe here.