SAN ANTONIO — Five people are in the hospital after their house caught fire early Tuesday morning. The fire broke out just before 3 a.m. in the 200 block of Windcrest Drive on the northeast side.
The Windcrest Fire Department battled the fire against heavy winds. The fire burned for three hours, bringing the house down to its frames.
Neighbor Pedro Torres is still in shock. He woke up to the fire outside his bedroom window.
"It was like someone was throwing softball sized fire into our house, constantly," Torres said. "The flames were at least 100 feet up. It was a really terrifying scene."
Fearing his home would be next, Torres packed his wife and kids into his car so they could get away.
When his neighbors ran out of their burning home, he picked them up too. He kept them safe until help arrived. They went straight from his car to the ambulance.
"I wanted to hug her, but she was severely injured. It was just like the humane thing to do," Torres said, as he fought back tears.
City officials said five people were taken to the hospital. Two children are under 48-hour observation. Three adults are being treated, but the extent of their injuries wasn't shared with KENS 5.
Torres said what's happening to his neighbors brings back dark memories from his childhood.
"When I was 10 years old, we had lost our house and we just built it," Torres said. "We watched it burn down."
Torres said this experience has reminded him to be more prepared. He's going to work on a fire escape plan with his family and have inspector come by to make sure his house is up to code.
Investigators with the Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office are still examining the scene. A cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
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