Fireworks likely to blame for San Antonio house fires over Fourth of July weekend

Authorities believe a two-alarm fire on Monday night that left two Northwest San Antonio houses uninhabitable is the result of fireworks, according to MySA. However, the cause of a Tuesday morning house fire on the South Side that displaced a family of four is still under investigation, the news site reports.

The blazes came a week after Bexar County banned the sale of certain fireworks in advance of the Fourth of July holiday due to the area's extreme drought conditions.

In the case of the Monday incident, the San Antonio Fire Department responded to a two-alarm blaze on the 9300 block of Wildstone Place near State Highway 16 and Loop 1604, MySA reports. Chief Charles Hood said footage caught on a Ring doorbell camera suggests fireworks were being ignited nearby.

Although the ordinance is widely ignored, fireworks are illegal within San Antonio city limits, and violators could face fines of up to $2,000. On July 4, Mayor Ron Nirenberg pleaded with residents via Twitter not to “risk lives or property damage by setting off your own fireworks."

VERY HIGH wildfire risk in the area. Don’t risk lives or property damage by setting off your own fireworks. Come join us at the annual Woodlawn Lake Celebration instead. Happy Independence Day, San Antonio! pic.twitter.com/4iuEJd1CUD

— Mayor Ron Nirenberg (@Ron_Nirenberg) July 4, 2022

Despite the bans, Hood told reporters at the scene of the two-alarm fire that July 4 was an “extremely busy day” for SAFD, MySA reports.

“A lot of grass fired and large brush fires,” Hood said. “Again, a lot of these are caused by fireworks.

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