Tragedy struck on the East Side as a house fire claimed the lives of 38 parakeets, leaving unanswered questions and a community in sorrow. The blaze, which engulfed a home in the 1100 block of Center Street, sparked a rapid response from San Antonio firefighters just before 11 a.m. today. Crews were met with a distressing scene as flames ravaged the back of the residence, resulting in substantial damage, particularly to the kitchen area.
Efforts to quickly put out the fire were successful, but the extent of the inferno was too great to spare the multitude of birds trapped within. According to Fox San Antonio, "There was nobody inside the home, but there were some pet birds that did not survive."
While the home was found to be vacant, the presence of a large number of birds has caught the attention of locals. As the investigation continues, the reason behind the homeowner keeping such a flock remains a curiosity. "No word on why the homeowner had so many birds," reported KENS 5. The death of the parakeets has imbued the tragedy with yet another layer of sadness, for each animal was an irreplaceable presence to potentially someone’s world.
Determining the cause of the inferno is of the utmost priority in the aftermath of the fire. Investigators are leaning toward an electrical issue as the likely origin of the blaze. The electrical malfunction, believed to strictly be accidental, appears to have ignited in the rear portion of the home. "The cause of the fire is believed to basically be accidental, due to an electrical issue in the back of the home," officials were cited by KENS 5.
