A fire in a North Side home killed five residents, according to San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood.
Ricardo Delgado
San Antonio Express-News
Elisha Nuñez, Staff Writer
After two fatal fires in the last week, the demand for smoke detectors is so high the San Antonio Fire Department is asking for donations.
Five people died, two adults and three children, because of a fire Saturday night on the North Side. At a news conference Monday, Fire Chief Charles Hood emphasized there was only one smoke alarm in the two-story house.
“It’s really important that each and every one of you are here because we need to talk about the importance of smoke detectors and escape routes,” the chief said.
He added it’s the deadliest fire in the city since 2012 when four people died in a boarding house.
Then an older woman died early Wednesday in a house fire on the Southwest Side. That home didn’t have any smoke alarms.
Hood emphasized a citywide program where the fire department will install smoke alarms in the homes of people who can’t afford them. Those residents are asked to call 211.
Donations can be made at all SAFD fire stations, except for Station 23, during standard business hours. All donated smoke alarms must be new and in their original packaging.
Additional fire safety tips are available at firesafesa.com.
“We’re begging you to go out and get these smoke detectors,” Hood said.