SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said the number of fires in the city is up 26% this fiscal year compared to last, with District 5 reporting the most.
On Monday, Hood addressed concerns about several fires in recent weeks from East Side residents at the Ella Austin Community Center.
Since October, firefighters have responded to 39 fires on the East Side. Eight have been intentionally set. Of those, two have some common elements SAFD is investigating.
“There’s not a serial arsonist in (District 2) or in San Antonio, but we’ve had an uptick in fires of about 26%. We’ve had 10 fire fatalities this fiscal year. Last year, we had five to seven,” Hood said.
Hood wants residents to be on the lookout in their neighborhoods in case they see anything suspicious and encourages them to review security footage if they have any.
Anyone with questions is asked to call 311, and if you need a smoke alarm, call 211.
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