SAN ANTONIO – A man has been arrested and charged with arson after investigators say he set a fire in his bedroom and then left the house with his bedridden, 95-year-old grandmother inside.
It happened in the 8300 block of Glen Shadow in northeast Bexar County, near Converse.
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According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Sergio Castillo, 37, set fire to the comforter on his bed on Sept. 3. His father heard the smoke alarm and ran to find flames nearly reaching the ceiling. Castillo’s father put the fire out with water from the kitchen while Castillo watched through a window from outside the home, Castillo’s brother told investigators.
Castillo’s brother called the fire marshal’s office five days after hearing about the fire from his father because he was concerned for his grandmother’s safety and was worried the fire could reignite.
When investigators arrived at the home, they smelled smoke from an open window, the affidavit states. They entered the home through the window after knocks on the door went unanswered. Investigators heard the woman’s voice from inside the home and found her in her bedroom alone.
The woman was checked for smoke inhalation but refused medical treatment. Adult Care Services was called because the woman had been left unattended.
Investigators said they found charred holes on a mattress and ashes in a bedroom, in the living room and hallway leading to the backyard. They found charred bedding on the back porch along with a cigarette lighter.
According to Castillo’s brother, he had not returned home since the incident. His father thought Castillo might have been under the influence of drugs when he started the fire, according to the affidavit.
Castillo was arrested on Sept. 10 and charged with arson of a habitation, a felony.