The pregnant mother woke to the smell of gasoline before her niece discovered flames burning at the back door of her bedroom. SAFD’s Arson Bureau is investigating.

SAN ANTONIO — A pregnant mother, her 2-year-old son and her niece escaped a southeast-side duplex fire after waking to the smell of gasoline early Sunday morning.

The family later discovered suspicious bottles—some with cloth protruding from them—positioned around the home.

The fire was reported shortly after 4:20 a.m. in the 3000 block of Gateway Drive. KENS 5 is concealing the mother’s and niece’s identities because they fear whoever may be responsible could return.

The family has created a GoFundMe as the mother searches for another place to live.

“It was just too specific,” the mother said. “It was my house. Out of every place on the block, it was mine that was targeted.”


Waking to the smell of gasoline

The mother said she got up to use the restroom and immediately noticed a strong gasoline odor. She woke her niece and asked whether she smelled it, too. Her niece said she did.

The mother checked the other rooms but no longer noticed the odor. She then stepped outside through the front door and smelled it again.

After returning to her bedroom, where the home’s back door is located, the odor suddenly became overwhelming.

“I went back into the room, then I laid down and seconds later, the entire room smelled like gasoline,” she said.

Moments later, her niece heard something at the back door.

“At first I just heard crackling, so that’s what made me look over at the door,” the niece said. “That’s when I just saw it.”

The mother said flames were pushing through the back door. Her niece carried the 2-year-old to the front of the home, put him down and grabbed a fire extinguisher. She began fighting the flames while the mother called 911.

Everyone escaped safely. The mother said another family, including a child, was home in the adjoining unit. She said that family had previously experienced the trauma of another devastating fire.


Suspicious bottles found around the home

Once outside, the mother noticed the gates leading to the side and backyard were wide open.

Her niece then spotted a bottle on top of an air-conditioning unit.

“While we’re outside, while we’re waiting, she’s like, ‘What’s that on the AC unit?’” the mother recalled. “We look over and you see the homemade bombs, the beer bottle with the cloth and all that.”

The mother said similar bottles were found on top of every air-conditioning unit along her side of the duplex. Another was near the back door, where the fire began.

She said responding officers told her the bottles appeared to have been positioned around the home.

“They were like, ‘Yeah, they had these sitting all around your home,’” she said.

The family also noticed what appeared to be a path through the tall grass leading toward a fence. They believe someone entered through the front of the property and escaped by jumping the fence, possibly after the mother turned on a light.

Investigators have not confirmed that account.

The mother believes the outcome could have been much worse if any of the bottles had been thrown through a window. She said the fire burned bushes behind the home and trapped the family between its only two exits.


Active arson investigation

The San Antonio Fire Department said incident notes show the caller reported a fire burning on the back porch and the smell of gasoline.

“As of today, this is an active and ongoing investigation by the SAFD Arson Bureau,” the department told KENS 5.

SAFD has not identified the bottles as incendiary devices, confirmed what they contained or released information about a potential suspect or motive.

The mother said she moved into the duplex in February and had not experienced any previous problems. She said investigators were considering whether someone who previously lived there could have been the intended target, though SAFD has not confirmed that possibility.

“It just doesn’t make sense,” she said. “I don’t have anything going on. I just raise my son. I’m at home, therapy or going to appointments.”


Family afraid to return

The family stayed with the mother’s sister for one night before moving into a hotel. The mother said her landlord has been understanding, but she does not feel safe returning to the duplex and plans to move.

“When I went back, my anxiety was so bad going in the house—smelling it, seeing it,” she said. “I will never feel comfortable with [family] being in the house ever again.”

The mother said she has struggled to sleep since the fire and worries whoever may be responsible could return.

“What if they come back like, ‘Oh, we didn’t finish the job, so we’re going to do it again?’” she said.

The fire has also interrupted therapy and nursing arrangements for her son, who has special needs. The mother said she had recently arranged nursing care so she could return to work but now does not have the money to immediately secure another home.

“It’s a day-to-day thing,” she said. “I really don’t know.”

The family is asking neighbors to check doorbell and surveillance cameras for activity around 4:20 a.m. Sunday, July 26. The mother said anyone who captured something can remain anonymous but should provide the video to police.

“We’re here, so that’s the biggest blessing,” she said. “Everything else will fall into place.”

The mother has created a GoFundMe as she searches for another place to live. Click here if you’d like to help.