SAN ANTONIO — After a devastating fire March 15 on Center Street and another massive blaze over the weekend, some people who live in Dignowity Hill are worried that a serial arsonist may be at work in their historic neighborhood just east of downtown.
The latest fire was called in just after 10 a.m. Sunday.
People who live near the 300 block of North Pine sounded the alarm when they saw huge flames and smoke leaping from a two-story home under construction at the corner of Potomac.
Joseph Garcia, who lives nearby, came to watch the battle. Garcia said after the previous fire in which a three-story home under construction was reduced to a small pile of rubble, he fears someone with a grudge against development in the area may be torching the newcomers.
“I’m very afraid. Neighbors are concerned that there may be an arsonist in our Dignowity Hill and they are targeting new developments and homes that aren’t ever completed yet,” Garcia said.
Garcia added “I believe somebody may be upset about the high rise in our taxes in our neighborhood. It just puzzles us because it looks like they are only targeting new homes.”
Neighbor Nathan Marin said he believes the attacks are targeted, and the fires put everyone at risk because of the danger that the fires could spread.
“New development is all over us and we’re concerned it’s going to affect us one way or another.”
Garcia said he has concerns with the density of the new additions.
“It’s not even 12-feet apart from one another, as far as across the street, because these are not even regular 20-foot streets and it’s that density that we have a problem with,” Garcia said, adding new development should follow well established guidelines in the historic area.
“We just have a problem with how many houses you put on one lot,” Garcia said.
Nancy Alford said she also lives nearby and she likes the way the area is growing and doesn’t understand why new homes would suddenly be targeted.
“It just seems like they are targeting new construction and that’s where our neighborhood is going and so it’s sad,” Alford said, adding “I don’t feel personally targeted or afraid but it’s concerning for the neighborhood.”
The San Antonio Fire Department incident commander said arson investigators are looking into concerns from neighbors.
Chief Doug Reed said, “Hopefully they can figure out the problem and if there is a person or group behind it, we can take care of it.”
Reed said homes that are still under construction usually burn fast and hot.
“The potential for fire is greater because there is unfinished work, there are stored materials inside and there are a lot of issues that can contribute to a fire spreading quickly,” Reed said.
Reed said the first arriving companies tried fighting the fire from the inside of the building, but they quickly realized they needed to back out and fight defensively.
“We had structural integrity issues. There was no sheetrock to protect the walls so it was not safe to go inside,” Reed said.
Before the smoke had fully cleared from the area, both fire and arson investigators were looking over every angle of the fire scene and talking with neighbors about their concerns. They are also looking for any surveillance video in the area that might help them with clues. Anyone with information is asked to visit this website.
More information about arson prevention services can be found here.