SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- A 4-alarm fire destroyed a large section of a historic building at Our Lady of the Lake University Tuesday evening.
The fire started around 7:30 p.m. in the Main Building located in the 400 block of S.W. 24th Street. Thirty-eight fire units were dispatched to the scene, and more than 100 firefighters battled the flames.
The fire is believed to have started on the fourth floor of the building. The building was evacuated, but some people had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters went room-to-room to make sure everyone was evacuated. A San Antonio Fire department spokesperson said all of the students were accounted for and that accommodations were being made for the students who were displaced by the fire. A university spokesperson said all of the sisters at the university had also been evacuated and were safe.
Students and staff gathered across the street from the school. Many were in tears as they watched the flames.
"This is definitely going to be a loss to the city of San Antonio," said Chief Randy Jenkins.
A woman who was inside the building when the fire started told News 4 she did not smell any smoke prior to the evacuation. The woman said no one thought it was anything serious until they got outside and "saw the flames shoot up from nowhere."
The Red Cross dispatched crews to the university to help the firefighters, and plans to send a disaster relief team to the scene. Also, District 5 Councilwoman Lourdes Galvan is making an offer for the district to put displaced students into local hotels for the night. She told News 4 she was awaiting the go-ahead from the President of the university to put that plan into motion.
San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood said it was stubborn fire and that strong winds fueled the flames.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the Main Building, but the fire consumed the fourth floor of the building. The flames flared up again around 10:30 p.m., but firefighters brought the fire back under control shortly after 11 p.m.
An arson unit was called to the scene. It's unknown if the fire has anything to do with a bomb threat that was called in to the University on Monday.
Students say there has been false fire alarms for weeks. A bomb threat was discovered in a bathroom on Monday and led to an evacuation, but nothing was found. A trash can fire also was reported earlier in a building across the street from the one that burned. It was quickly doused.
The building houses human resources, cashier services, the sociology department and campus ministry.
Republished with permission of WOAI-TV.
