SAN ANTONIO – A video that shows a grass fire at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetary is going viral on TikTok.
The video, uploaded by Steve Torres on Wednesday, shows flames surrounding dozens of headstones as firefighters respond with water and shovels.
As of Thursday afternoon, the 52-second video received more than 13,000 likes and more than 1,100 comments.
@hedgehog262 Grass fire at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. #firefighter #firefightertiktok #army #navy #airforce #marines #coastguard #veterans ♬ Many Men Have Gunz (feat. We Were Soldiers) Final Battle Scene (song Sgt.MacKenzie) Tribute to Sgt McKenzie - Lowescompany Music Productions
“thank you to all the firefighters that helped put it out be safe out there 🤝🤝🤝🤝🙏🙏🙏🙏,” user Tony Martin Moreno commented, while JTallakson commented, “very odd that it’s in a circle.”
Others wanted to know if the fire was intentionally set, and if authorities caught the person who may have ignited it.
Joe Arrington, a public information officer with SAFD, told KSAT that firefighters believe a lit candle at a gravesite is to blame for the fire.
The fire was reported after 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The fire was quickly extinguished, Arrington said, but not before it burned 200 plots.
Thirty-seven headstones were covered in soot, but none sustained major damage that Arrington said he was aware of.
In the comment section, Torres wrote that another fire happened near that area on New Year’s Eve.
Torres identified himself as a member of the SAFD in his TikTok biography. His page includes several videos of SAFD responding to fires and incidents around the city.
His video of the cemetery fire is his most watched, with more than 170,000 views.
The Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is one of 78 national cemeteries from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Only fresh-cut and artificial flowers in plastic vases are allowed year-round, and holiday wreaths and floral blankets are allowed from Dec. 1-Jan. 20.
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