40 firefighters battle flames in King William District

Fire swept through a home in the King William District Thursday morning. The home, which is located in the 300 block of King William Street, caught fire around 8:45 a.m. The building is listed as a historic structure according to the San Antonio Fire Department.

At one point, more than 40 firefighters battled the flames. Officials said most of the damage was on the inside of the home. No one was home at the time and there were no injuries.

Owner Edith Stockhardt says the house was undergoing renovations at the time of the fire. Formerly it was being operated as A Classic Charms Bed & Breakfast.

Stockhardt had left the home a couple of hours before the fire was reported.She told reporters that the damage “is bad. All the windows upstairs look black. Water’s running out. It’s bad.”

Stockhardt said the house had been under contract to be sold, but the deal fell through. Right now, she fears she might be underinsured for the amount of damage sustained.

SAFD Battalion Chief Oscar Gonzalez says that due to the roof’s slope firefighters “couldn’t get on it. As the fire began venting outside the roof, it helped us to punch it out.”

Most of the damage was contained to the second floor and attic areas. A cost estimate was not readily available.

“It’s just heartbreaking, these houses are… irreplaceable,” a neighbor, Bill Cogburn, said. “When something like this happens, it’s very sad.”

The investigation is just starting into what caused the fire.
From WOAI News, San Antonio
Photos of fire from WOAI News, San Antonio