Neighbors said the long-abandoned home had been a source of fear for more than a year.
SAN ANTONIO — When a 95-year-old home on McKinley Avenue caught fire early Sunday morning, billowing smoke could be seen for miles.
Neighbors said the longtime abandoned home had been a source of fear for more than a year, as they often saw people who are homeless come and go.
Several remembered a previous fire at the same address some time ago. Many said when they saw signs go up indicating the structure would be deconstructed, they grew hopeful.
The City of San Antonio has a Deconstruction and Salvage Initiative to preserve historic materials for reuse and reduce the amount of material sent to local landfills.
Leo, who said the house belonged to a family member, added that relatives had been trying to secure the structure for more than a year.
“It was like a good three months where me and my brothers had to drag the homeless people out of there because you could smell smoke,” Leo said. “Sure enough, one night it was like it was like 3 or 4 in the morning and the house caught on fire!”
Another neighbor who calls herself Maria said, “It was really scary. They had started demolishing the house this last week and it wasn’t safe for them to leave the materials out there.”
Maria added, for safety’s sake, the job site should have been tidier.
“They should have taken them (the building materials) away when they did that. It’s endangering because they know there is a lot of homeless and they try to keep warm,” she said.
Even though she lives several houses away, Maria said with winds whipping the area, she worried about losing her own home to the leaping flames.
“It got so close to the house (next door). It’s endangering the neighborhood, the people, their lives,” Maria said.
The City’s Office of Historic Preservation provided the following answers to questions about safety concerns:
“As with any demolition site, a perimeter fence is required during the project. Our understanding from the contractor is that the fence was in place when the incident occurred.
There were no loose materials stored on site at the time. The contractor had taken them from the site.
We’d encourage any concerned citizens to call 311 or the SAPD non-emergency line to report activity.
In general, deconstruction contractors are trained in maintaining a safe and organized job site. Roofs are typically removed first, followed by exterior siding and sheathing.
There is not typically a prolonged amount of time where a deconstruction site could likely be used for shelter by individuals trespassing on the property.
The Office of Historic Preservation maintains a close working relationship with the City’s contractor and we make accommodations to ensure effective and safe application of the ordinance.”
More information about the Deconstruction & Circular Economy Program can be found here.