Homeowners call for changes after bushfire burns too close to East Side neighborhood

SAN ANTONIO – A bush fire that broke out Sunday afternoon burned too close to the homes of residents in the neighborhood.

Firefighters from the City of San Antonio and Bexar County Emergency Services District No. 11 worked together to battle the blaze, which broke out in a heavily wooded area of ​​both jurisdictions near the Interstate 10 and Foster Road.

The flames burned over a large area, heading near homes in the Miller Ranch subdivision.

In some cases, they left the fences behind the houses burned.

“He came within ten feet of our fence,” said Paul Deboer, who lives in Foster Bend. “The smoke was very, very thick. There was a lot of ash flying above us.

While Deboer's house was not damaged, the flames touched the fence behind the neighboring house, which belongs to his son's family.

He convinced his daughter-in-law to point out the scorched marks the fire had created along his fence.

In other sections, smoke and flames transformed the natural color of the cedar wood to a pale shade of gray.

Deboer said he moved into the neighborhood last summer, hoping it would be a peaceful place to live.

Instead, it was the second time he feared losing his home to a bushfire.

“It was in July that there was another fire there, not as bad as this one,” he said. “But nevertheless, it catches fire, and it’s so smoky too.”

He and other neighbors fear this won't be the last time. They say with the hot, dry weather, it's only a matter of time before another fire breaks out among all the brush and trees on this undeveloped stretch of land.

“I think the first thing they need to do is create access there for firefighters to come back in,” Deboer said.

The land where the fire broke out on Sunday appears to be private property. Monica Ramos, a Bexar County spokeswoman, said it would be up to the property owner to make changes.

KSAT left a phone message Monday afternoon for the listed owner, but he has not responded so far.

As of Monday afternoon, firefighters had not determined the cause of the fire.