SAN ANTONIO -- After the storms passed Wednesday morning, neighbors on the south side woke up to find the center of their community going up in flames.
A food mart open since the 1940s was destroyed in 20 minutes.
Felix Chavez had to use a flashlight to peer into decades of memories.
"I've been coming here since I was knee-high. They had two for a penny cookies back then," said Chavez. He now works for the owner of the Primo's Food Mart Number 2, which is now charred and chained-up.
It caught fire Wednesday morning, the blackened remains covering nearly seven decades of history.
The food mart was originally opened in 1949, the first family who owned the store leaving their mark which included names and hand prints in cement right by the front door.
"I was devastated," said Susan Martinez.
"It meant so much. There's a lot of us who grew up in this neighborhood," said Chavez.
The store changed ownership over the years, but did not change its role as the pulse of the neighborhood in a 20 block radius.
"[We] hired just about every kid in this block at one time or another," said Chavez.
Martinez said many people go there for the camaraderie and to check up on one another. The community is now rallying behind the owner. The owner reportedly said it could take about a month to open the store again.
San Antonio fire investigators said the fire was ruled an accident. The damage added up to $50,000 inside and $20,000 damage to the building.
