SAN ANTONIO – A fire that destroyed a Northeast side building that housed a Jack in the Box restaurant and convenience store most likely started inside the fast-food business, according to San Antonio firefighters.
Joseph Arrington, a public information officer for SAFD, says crews found flames and smoke coming through the roof of that section when they arrived shortly before 3 a.m. Monday.
“(They) tried to make entry, had heavy heat, then fire and smoke conditions,” he said.
Those factors, plus the potential for the structure to collapse, caused fire crews to take a defense approach.
They backed out and used aerial hoses to pour water from above onto the businesses.
Both of the businesses were already closed for the night when the fire broke out, and no injuries were reported.
The building, on Perrin Beitel Road near Wurzbach Parkway, is located next to the main post office and situated next to a set of gas pumps.
“At the height of the fire, we had about 30 units on scene fighting the fire. It did break through the roof,” Arrington said. “We did stage so that we could protect the gas pumps, to keep the fire from potentially spreading in that direction.”
Arrington said they were successful in eliminating that danger.
However, hot spots continued to flare up inside the building throughout the early morning.
By daylight, little more than the exterior walls were left standing.
The ruins, Arrington said, are unstable and unsafe and probably would have to be torn down.
He said a crew with the city’s dangerous structures unit would determine the fate of the building and schedule any required demolition.