SAN ANTONIO — Twelve tenants briefly found themselves without a place to stay after an apartment fire in the Medical Center area Thursday afternoon. Neighbors said it appeared to be caused by someone barbecuing on a balcony.
Management at the Fountainhead Apartment complex has since made arrangements for impacted tenants to be relocated on site.
Firefighters found flames eating through the roof of a balcony when they showed up to the complex on Horizon Hill around 1:22 p.m. Fire officials say they were able to knock the fire down quickly with an aggressive attack, but six of the 12 units in the building have fire, smoke or water damage.
They said all the residents in the impacted building lost power because of the extent of the blaze.
One woman who escaped from the burning building when someone pounded on her door says she's very upset. Other neighbors expressed anger over the cause of the fire.
Another factor in getting the fire under control was the extreme heat. To help firefighters cope with the high temperatures, about 40 fire units responded just to allow the firefighters to cool off during the fight.
One person was treated for minor smoke inhalation. A bearded dragon was also rescued from the flames, though its condition wasn't immediately known.
Investigators haven't ruled on an official cause but they do say the most significant damage started on a top floor balcony.
This is a developing story and further details will be added as they are received.
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