Residents of a once peaceful neighborhood on Westrock and Colt drives face growing anxiety as incidents of violence and arson heighten concerns for safety.
SAN ANTONIO — It’s been a stressful few days at the corner of Westrock and Colt drives and south west side neighbors say they’re tired of being on edge.
Sunday there was a brazen shooting attack at an apartment complex on the corner and then during the early morning hours Wednesday, just a few yards away, a vacant house went up in flames.
One man who watched the flames eat through the roof of the long abandoned home said, “It is a nice neighborhood, but slowly but surely we’ve been hearing gunshots and now the house next door catches on fire.”
With worry obvious in his voice he asked, “What else is going to happen next?”
Another neighbor a few doors down said he’s been trying for three years to get the absentee owner to secure the structure.
He said he tried to chase trespassers away. Once.
The man said when he told people to leave, one of the men pulled a gun on him. He said that’s the last time he got anywhere near the place.
Desribing the moment when he heard sirens and saw emergency responders light up the night, a man who recorded the flames with his phone said, “We’re all outside just freaking out and looking over and we’re all in shock. Like it’s just too much for the same week, one day to the next when we’re shooting and then into a fire!”
The man, who said he was a long-time renter in the area before he purchased his home, said “Not in this neighborhood, it’s not like that, but now it’s getting worse with all these people roaming around the streets day and night!”
The fire alarm sounded a few minutes after 1 a.m.
The first arriving company reported flames roaring from the backside of the 63-year-old home on Westrock.
Neighbors say the owner used to live in the house but when he inherited another home, he moved on, leaving this 900 square foot house unattended and at the mercy of people who kept breaking in to seek shelter.
After years of watching the neglect get more dangerous, several neighbors said they hope the fire leads to a fresh start on the block with an emergency demolition order by the city.
One man said, “It would be the most smart thing to do because they can torch it right back up again.”
A code compliance spokesman said the house has been targeted for enforcement action over time.
During 2025, for example, they said there were eight cases for having an overgrown yard, including one that is listed as a current violation.
Even though neighbors claim they have called police to intervene numerous times, SAPD said they found one 911 hang up call and just one disturbance call for all of 2025.
Code enforcement rules give the city a few days to evaluate the structure to see if a reasonable effort can save it. If inspectors decide the damage is too severe, they can issue an emergency demolition order.
Neighbors said that action can’t come soon enough to rid them of the danger of the charred wreckage.
The city does have extensive policies governing abandoned buildings.