SAN ANTONIO — A family was displaced after their home went up in flames on the city's northeast side.
The fire broke out around 4 a.m. on Friday on Sunup Drive. The San Antonio Fire Department said the fire may have started in the rear of the home. The flames then spread, causing heavy damage.
Two adults and two children were displaced. Authorities said this was a possible electrical fire, but SAFD will make that determination. No injuries were reported.
Steve Brear says he was impressed with the efforts of firefighters and police officers who helped save a family from a fire in their Woodstone neighborhood early Friday morning.
Brear said it was harrowing but "the firefighters tackled the fire really quickly and really efficiently. When they arrived it was going up good, yeah, and the smell was horrible."
The call for help came in just before 4 a.m. in the 5500 block of Sunup, which is near Lookout and Judson roads.
Police officers racing to the scene could be heard on their radios saying they could see a big fire.
Brear said police arrived quickly and did a good job of helping firefighters contain the chaos.
Brear said even though they knocked the fire down within 20 minutes or so, "the fire investigators were here two-and-a-half hours, upstairs, investigating the cause."
After the firefighters were long gone, daylight revealed what darkness had concealed. The roof of the home is eaten away. Some of the walls are gone and much of the interior of the home is gutted. The incident commander said an electrical issue might be to blame but there has been no ruling yet on the cause or a damage estimate.
As this is the 100th Anniversary of Fire Prevention Week, the intense damage caused by the fire gives powerful testimony to the need to be fire aware and have an advance plan.
At the www.firesafesa.com website, the fire department has more information on an initiative they call SCAN.
S is for checking to make sure there is a working smoke detector on every level of a home.
C is for a clear path of escape. Firefighters say senior citizens should make sure there are no trip hazards or clutter that could put first responders in harm's way.
A stands for an action plan. They say every family should have an emergency plan and two ways to escape from each room.
N is for neighbors. Firefighters say when people know their neighbors, they are more likely to look after one another in an emergency.