With the sun high in the sky and temperatures reaching 103 degrees, people in San Antonio said they were trying to stay out of the heat.
“We can feel it, man,” said Josue Veliz.
Veliz, who was visiting from Dallas, said he enjoyed San Antonio but found the heat uncomfortable.
“Yeah, I mean, we were walking around the River Walk, and we went inside the stores and stuff just to cool off. We were almost tempted to jump in the water,” Veliz said.
Saturday marked San Antonio’s sixth straight day with temperatures above 100 degrees. Andres Rodriguez, 68, who is from Mexico, said he is used to the heat and planned to take a walk once the sun went down.
“Pretty soon, I’ll start walking,” Rodriguez said.
San Antonio has reached 100 degrees 10 times this summer, with nine of those days happening this month. The Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office said it is watching closely for potential brush fires after crews put out a 40-acre fire Friday.
“Thankfully, there were no injuries to report. Nine families were evacuated,” said Sgt. Gerard Herrera with the Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Herrera said someone was shredding foliage when the machine hit a rock and sparked the fire. He said recent rain helped vegetation grow, but the plants have since dried out, increasing the risk of fires.
“Because there hasn’t been any rain or moisture since then, it’s provided a lot of growth for vegetation that has since dried out. So now we’re looking at more vegetation that could increase the fuel load,” Herrera said.
Herrera encourages people to keep water nearby if they have to work outside using tools like angle grinders.
For anyone looking for a break from the heat, the City of San Antonio also provides an online map of places to cool down, including public libraries and pools.