SAN ANTONIO – What one resident described as an intense fire swept through a Northwest Side apartment building early Thursday, sending people running for safety.
The fire broke out just before 12:30 a.m. in the 6100 block of Vance Jackson Road.
Vanessa Posadas says she got a call from her sister, telling her that there was a huge fireball outside the front door of the home she shared with their father.
Posadas says her relatives, including her 73-year-old father, had to jump from their balcony to escape.
When firefighters arrived, they found that all the people in the building had escaped.
However, they had to rescue several pets, including four cats and a dog.
They say flames were shooting from the building, and they noticed a landing area outside one apartment seemed to have the heaviest damage.
That is a possible indication that the fire started outside, they said.
That idea matches what several residents reported about hearing a loud argument outside just before the flames erupted, although the official cause of the fire is still under investigation.
After putting out the fire, firefighters boarded up the entrance to the apartments to keep people from going inside.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross also arrived on scene and appeared to be providing assistance to people who were impacted.
The fire damaged at least seven apartments and the leasing office, firefighters said.