Residents evacuated due to fire at far West Side apartment complex

SAN ANTONIO – A fire prompted an evacuation of residents from an apartment building early Monday morning on the city's far West Side.

The fire was called in around 3:30 a.m. at the Westlake Villas apartment complex, which is located in the 1400 block of Cable Ranch Road, not far from Marbach Road.

Firefighters said 12 units in total were affected by the fire. Several residents told KSAT 12 that they woke to find smoke pouring in from their walls.

"I’ve seen fires on the news and stuff and to see it almost in your unit we were just in panic mode," resident Crystal Romero said.

"We didn’t know how bad it was until we stepped out and the flames were just everywhere. It was on the second floor and the third floor. That’s when I started freaking out because we share a roof and we were just trying to figure it out," resident Amanda Gonzales said.

Fire officials said preliminary info suggests that the fire likely started on the exterior of the building somewhere near the first floor. 

"It started on the exterior wall so we did have some extension into the structure so that was the main thing, we were working on getting the building evacuated and making sure everyone was accounted for. At this point it looks like everyone made it out," Battalion chief Oscar Gonzalez SAFD said.

Arson investigators have been called to help determine the actual cause. The investigation is on-going.

This is a developing story. Stay with KSAT 12 both online and on-air for more information.