Early Tuesday morning, the San Antonio Fire Department responded to a fire at a vacant apartment complex on the northwest side of the city, where officials believe squatters to be the root cause. KENS5 reports that the fire erupted after midnight in the 100 block of De Chantle Road near Fredericksburg Road. Fire crews arrived to find the previously installed boards on the first floor had been taken down, suggesting that squatters had likely entered the building.
Despite the late night call, firefighters managed quickly to suppress the fire, and fortunately, no injuries were reported in the blaze. While the exact damages caused by the fire have not been disclosed, repeated incidents at this location suggest an ongoing issue with squatters using the abandoned building for shelter and subsequently causing fires. FOX San Antonio notes that this is not the first fire at this particular complex, as squatters have set ablaze this property before.
The San Antonio Fire Department continuously stresses the dangers and potential property damage associated with squatters occupying vacant structures. They emphasize that such buildings, often not up to code or properly secured, pose significant risks to the squatters themselves and can lead to fires that threaten the broader community. No further information about the fire or the state of the investigation has been released at this time.
