SAN ANTONIO – A fire heavily damaged a home Thursday afternoon on the city's North Side.
San Antonio fire officials said when they arrived at the home in the 2100 block of Peach Blossom at 3:45 p.m., flames were shooting out of the roof.
A fire official said a plumbing crew was using a soldering gun in the attic, when it appears that some sparks came in contact with flammable tar in or on the wall.
A worker tried to rip apart the wall that caught fire in an effort to minimize the fire, but flames quickly spread, fire officials said.
A plumber suffered some minor burns to his arm, officials said.
Neighbor Cathy Martinez came home and originally thought it was her home that was on fire.
"(The flames) were as high as the tree. The firefighters came and they put it out. There was some wind, so it started up again." Martinez said.
A large portion of the rear of the home and the roof appears to have been destroyed. The home may be a total loss, fire officials said.
The fire took about 30 minutes to get under control.
SAFD Batallion Chief Brian Lee offered advice to prevent these types of fires.
"If you're going to be doing any, welding or anything, have a method of extinguishment close by. So if something does happen, you can grab it while it's small." Lee said.
