SAN ANTONIO — A northside business reopened Tuesday after a weekend fire.
Adelita Tamales & Tortilla is one of the city’s oldest family-owned Mexican food factories.
Surveillance video shows workers leaping out of the way as an SUV ploughs through a wall Saturday morning. The vehicle then slams into a 6,000-pound oven.
“The impact of the car actually pushed this whole machine all the way to the side,” said Anthony Borrego, the General Manager of Adelita Tamales. “You can see the staff member looking up, so she must have heard something. That says something because our machines are very loud when they are on. The [oven] pretty much blocked that car from really going into the plant more.”
The SUV severed a gas line, Borrego says.
In the video, workers are seen sprinting to shut the gas off. One woman grabs a fire extinguisher as the building fills with smoke.
“And then the staff sprung into action and put out the fire,” Borrego said.
Nearly a century of production came to a screeching halt. Borrego expects repairs will take about a week.
It’s unfortunate timing. Adelita Tamales was preparing for its busiest season of the year. Borrego says they serve tens of thousands of people over the holidays.
“It could potentially have been a whole lot worse,” Borrego said.
He’s just thankful no one was hurt.
“Very fortunate staff jumped in and they saved the building from burning down,” Borrego said.
The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) confirmed it's investigating the crash. So far, no charges have been filed against the driver.
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