San Antonio Express-News
(TNS)
Mar. 8—A family of four was found dead in a house fire Friday on the far Southeast Side.
The home in the 4400 block of Wrangler Run was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, according to preliminary information from the San Antonio Fire Department. Initially, a car fire was reported, but Joe Arrington, fire department spokesman, said the blaze appears to have started in the house and spread to the car.
Michael Lara, a neighbor, was asleep after returning from his night shift when he heard an explosion. The neighborhood is all electric and does not have gas.
"It was a big enough explosion to shake the whole house," he said.
His dad, Benito Lara, went to the home to try to help the family. When he attempted to knock, the door was soft.
"I was trying to knock on (their door) to get in, but (the door) was too hot," said the elder Lara.
Michael Lara saw his dad run to the neighbor's home yelling, "Freddy," believed to be the father of the family.
He said within 10 minutes, the home's second floor had collapsed.
Both Laras said the deceased family, believed to be from El Paso, were friendly people who stayed to themselves for as long as they have lived on Wrangler Run.
"We would cut the grass, say hi, wave back and forth," Michael Lara said. "They didn't bother anybody, and their children were well-mannered and behaved."
At its peak, 16 fire trucks were called to extinguish flames. The fire spread to two neighboring homes, which sustained minimal damage.
Fire investigators are looking into whether the fire was accidental or intentional.
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