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Another day, another fire in a vacant building; part of an ongoing problem in San Antonio

Investigators believe someone started fire inside former credit union

SAN ANTONIO – A fire Wednesday morning inside a former credit union appears to be one of the latest in a series involving vacant buildings, according to San Antonio firefighters.

The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. inside the building, located on Wurzbach Road near Ingram Road.

More than a dozen fire units responded to the call and found flames and smoke coming from the building.

A battalion chief on scene told KSAT 12 News they also found a back door open as well as signs that someone had been inside without permission.

Fire crews were able to knock down the fire and keep it from spreading beyond the back of the building, where it apparently started.

At one point, they struggled with water problems, the battalion chief said.

Firefighters had to stretch hoses across the busy intersection to tap into hydrants on the other side of the street.

San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood recently spoke to KSAT 12 Investigators about the ongoing problem with fires inside vacant buildings.

Fire department figures this summer indicated there was a significant increase compared to recent years in the past.

As of July 31, these types of fires were accounting for about 29% of all fire calls in the city.

Hood said many of the recent fires appeared to be related to the unsheltered population, people who were trying to escape the hot weather.

He said in some cases, there are entire groups of people who would otherwise be on the streets, moving in and setting up camp inside the vacant buildings.

When the fires break out, they can put firefighters as well as other people in danger, Hood said.


About the Authors
Katrina Webber headshot

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.

Santiago Esparza headshot

Santiago Esparza is a photojournalist at KSAT 12.

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