SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio firefighters rescued a man who was unconscious inside a burning home in the Encino Park area on the far North Side.
SAFD Chief Charles Hood said the fire was reported just before noon on Wednesday in the 2100 block of Oak Bend, near Highway 281 and Encino Rio.
Firefighters arrived at the home to find “heavy, heavy smoke” inside, making it dangerous for them to see, Hood said.
They found the man at the bottom of the stairwell on the first floor, he said.
The man was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in “extremely” critical condition. A cat was found dead in the secondary search.
The fire likely started hours earlier and burned through the second floor. The second floor was not stable and the stairwell had burned, Hood said.
“Our units were reporting high heat and zero visibility, that’s the most dangerous conditions we can operate it,” Hood said, adding that no firefighters were injured.
The incident left several people in the neighborhood in disbelief.
“As I drive by seeing the smoke, I was really shocked…but, at the same time curious and concerned,” Neighbor Norma Jean Gonzales-Gerrish said.
Gonzales-Gerrish said she does not know the victim personally but she is aware that he is a veteran.
“There’s a few veterans in this neighborhood. As veterans, we want to help each other and always lend a hand where we can,” she said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. At this time it is unclear why the man was unable to make it outside the home.
San Antonio firefighters are responding to a fire on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, in the 2100 block of Oak Bend. (KSAT)San Antonio firefighters are responding to a fire on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, in the 2100 block of Oak Bend. (KSAT)
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