Winds and flames were a problem for the fire department as they tried to battle fire.
SAN ANTONIO — Richard Herrera said the early morning explosions outside his west side home were so loud, he thought a driver had crashed into his home.
“I would have thought I had a car in my wall! That’s how loud it was and that’s how extreme the explosion was. It shook our house!” Herrera said.
The long-time resident of Westknoll, near Military Drive and Highway 90, said he looked outside around 7:30 Wednesday morning and found a roaring blaze.
Herrera said “The house across the street is engulfed! And I’m talking about when that thing exploded, the majority of the house was on fire, you’re talking about 20 foot to 30 foot flames up into the air!”
Herrera said the experience was so shocking, he had a hard time calling for help.
“I was so nervous I couldn’t hit 911 on the phone. It was ridiculous!” Herrera exclaimed.
His neighbor, Raul Trevino, shared a similar reaction.
Trevino said “I ran out here and I looked, and it was already fully in flames. And the wind was blowing big.”
Trevino said he was afraid wind-driven embers would push the fire across the street and burn his house as well.
“I was scared. I was scared it was going to catch on fire on this side,” Trevino said, and sure enough, moments later, his fears were realized when a plastic recycling bin just a few feet from the side of his home burst into flames.
Trevino believes a blowing ember started the fire, which was quickly put out when firefighters ran across the street and blasted it.
While first responders treated one woman from the house of origin for breathing problems, Herrera said neighbors jumped into action to comfort a family that barely escaped when their house next door caught fire when flames jumped from one home to the next.
Of the family, Herrera said “They were hysterical, with children in their hands. Barefooted. You know it caught them off guard. They had to run for their lives and they didn’t know where to go.”
Herrera said to get the frightened family out of the wind and the danger, they invited them inside and offered them warmth.
“We brought them in the house and made a pot of coffee as San Antonians always do. It was just a very sad thing to see,” Herrera said.
The fire department incident commander agreed they knew they were in for a fight soon after they left their fire station.
“From over there at Military and New Laredo Highway we saw black smoke, and the wind was blowing really hard,” Russell Johnson said, adding the first companies to arrive on scene used an aggressive approach.
Johnson said “The first unit got on scene and said the house was fully involved and it was intruding on the exposure.” Johnson explained the ‘exposure’ was the house next door to the west, which had already started to catch fire as well.
“They used the water they had, the deck gun, and they hit it and that didn’t knock it down too far,” Johnson said, adding that the next task was to haul water from a distant hydrant.
“The nearest hydrant is way over next to Military Drive, so we had to use two trucks worth of hose to get over there and a couple of trucks to pump it in the hose,” Johnson said.
When asked about the explosions heard by neighbors, Johnson said three cars that burned in the driveway could have been the source.
“It (the cars) really hindered us getting near it because of the black smoke. You couldn’t see anything when you drove up, so tires on car might have exploded,” Johnson explained.
Johnson said the scorched yard offered a testimony to the heat “Just look at the yard. The green grass is burned off. It even made the green grass burn. We don’t need another east Texas or panhandle Texas fire over here.”
With regard to the outlook for more high winds, Johnson said everyone should be extra cautious and avoid any kind of outdoor burning.
He said the fire department is already devoting more resources to any call they get.
“Everything is kicked up a notch. Instead of sending three engines and a ladder, we send four engines, two ladders and two chiefs,” Johnson said.
As for injuries, Johnson said one woman was treated on scene for breathing problems caused by the smoke, and he said one pet dog was found deceased in a bedroom of the first house that burned.
With smoke still hanging in the air, the family from the home that was badly scorched started bagging and boxing up belongings in an effort to move to a safer location.
The city’s code compliance division has several days to decide whether to pursue an emergency demolition order on the badly damaged home.
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