Leadership with SA 5 Diamonds Little League says a homeless encampment is located where the grass fire started
SAN ANTONIO — A large grass fire on the south side Tuesday night is raising eyebrows in the community.
It happened after 10 p.m. at 5 Diamonds Park and the cause of the fire is still undetermined.
The fire was so big, part of the road was closed and took hours to put out.
Elaine Anaya-Ortiz was leaving a meeting for the SA 5 Diamonds Little League when she saw the flames.
“I immediately called 911. I gave them our address and that’s how the fire trucks were able to reach the fire in time so that our field was not damaged,” said Elaine Anaya-Ortiz, 5 Diamonds Little League play agent.
Though officials haven’t pinpointed a cause, Anaya-Ortiz says she is very concerned.
“We do know that there’s a homeless encampment that is behind field number five,” said Anaya-Ortiz.
She adds Tuesday’s fire isn’t the first problem they’ve had recently.
Just last month, someone stole copper wires from the ballpark, knocking out lights on three fields.
The community stepped in to help turn the lights back on.
“We are 100% self-sufficient, so we pay for every blade of grass, every grain of sand. We pay for everything,” said Anaya-Ortiz.
We reached out to the City of San Antonio asking if they were aware of the encampments right behind the field.
They said they went by Wednesday, giving supplies and other resources to those there.
As the cause of the fire continues to be investigated, Anaya-Ortiz says she wants the city to trim the trees down.
“The reason we do is because we want line of sight. We want to be able to see across the creek,” said Anaya-Ortiz.
She says it’s all to keep her little leaguers safe.
“Bottom line, that’s what we want. We want our kids to be safe,” said Anaya-Ortiz.