Smoke may have prevented man from escaping burning bedroom, mom says

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The mother of a man who had to be rescued from a fire in his North Side home early Thursday morning believes thick smoke is what kept him from escaping on his own.

That woman told KSAT 12 News off-camera that she suspects the smoke may have overwhelmed her 55-year-old son while he was sleeping.

Both of them live at the home in the 13500 block of Cassia Way, not far from Highway 281 and Bitters Road, along with a pet dog.

According to San Antonio firefighters, the fire appears to have started after 3:30 a.m. in the room where the man was sleeping.

“Mom got out with the pet and alerted fire crews when they arrived on scene that her son was still in that house,” said SAFD Battalion Chief Brian Lee. “We had a victim in the bedroom that was transported to a local hospital with critical burns and inhalation.”

Paramedics wasted no time in wheeling that man to a waiting ambulance after firefighters pulled him from the home.

He was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center for treatment.

Firefighters quickly knocked down the flames, which were contained to the bedroom, then used a fan to clear smoke from the rest of the house.

Once the fire was out, a team of investigators went through the home, trying to determine the cause.

However, they did not come away with any obvious answers.