A fire displaces a west-side family and destroys their longtime home, a historic neighborhood store, but volunteers rally to support their recovery.
SAN ANTONIO — A west-side family is displaced after a fire gutted their longtime home — a house once known in the neighborhood as a corner store.
The fire broke out around 5:30 p.m. Sunday at 322 Ceralvo. Family members said it began with a loud pop from the air conditioner. Within minutes, flames raced into the attic. The ceiling collapsed, spreading fire through bedrooms and living spaces.
Julie Castro said her mother, Yolanda, ran out of the home thinking her husband, Jose, was right behind her. But he wasn’t.
“My mom called my daughter and said, ‘Grandpa didn’t walk out behind me,’” Castro said.
That’s when Castro’s daughter ran inside the smoke-filled home. Firefighters arrived moments later and helped her find Jose sitting in his bedroom, disoriented but alive.
Jose, who suffered a stroke years ago and can no longer work, was rescued without serious injuries. But the fire destroyed half of the home and the family’s only vehicle. The other half of the structure — the former corner store the family still calls “chapa” — remains standing, though its ceiling collapsed and the building needs major repairs.
“This is my parents’ home,” Castro said. “We’ve had birthday parties, anniversaries, Sunday barbecues. This was the gathering place.”
The family has lived in the home for nearly 30 years. Before that, residents remember it as a small neighborhood store where people would knock on a window to order goods.
In the days since the fire, volunteers have helped the Castros fill four dumpsters with debris. Neighbors have donated clothes and food. Roofers surveyed the collapsed ceiling Thursday.
Yolanda and Jose now live with relatives. The couple relies on Social Security, with Yolanda occasionally making tamales to make ends meet. They did not have home insurance, and their car’s liability coverage does not cover fire damage.
The family is hopeful they can return to their home by Thanksgiving.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Castros rebuild.