\u201cIt was just too specific,\u201d the mother said. \u201cIt was my house. Out of every place on the block, it was mine that was targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nWaking to the smell of gasoline <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The mother checked the other rooms but no longer noticed the odor. She then stepped outside through the front door and smelled it again.<\/p>\n
After returning to her bedroom, where the home\u2019s back door is located, the odor suddenly became overwhelming.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went back into the room, then I laid down and seconds later, the entire room smelled like gasoline,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Moments later, her niece heard something at the back door.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first I just heard crackling, so that\u2019s what made me look over at the door,\u201d the niece said. \u201cThat\u2019s when I just saw it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cc110f8e-9a5d-44b1-9a76-5cbcccd87cd9_1140x641.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\nSuspicious bottles found around the home <\/p>\n
Once outside, the mother noticed the gates leading to the side and backyard were wide open.<\/p>\n
Her niece then spotted a bottle on top of an air-conditioning unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we\u2019re outside, while we\u2019re waiting, she\u2019s like, \u2018What\u2019s that on the AC unit?\u2019\u201d the mother recalled. \u201cWe look over and you see the homemade bombs, the beer bottle with the cloth and all that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
She said responding officers told her the bottles appeared to have been positioned around the home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were like, \u2018Yeah, they had these sitting all around your home,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/abcd4124-9b32-4dda-ae30-783a61bc380a_1140x641.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Investigators have not confirmed that account.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\nActive arson investigation <\/p>\n
The San Antonio Fire Department said incident notes show the caller reported a fire burning on the back porch and the smell of gasoline.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs of today, this is an active and ongoing investigation by the SAFD Arson Bureau,\u201d the department told KENS 5.<\/p>\n
SAFD has not identified the bottles as incendiary devices, confirmed what they contained or released information about a potential suspect or motive.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just doesn\u2019t make sense,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have anything going on. I just raise my son. I\u2019m at home, therapy or going to appointments.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\nFamily afraid to return <\/p>\n
The family stayed with the mother\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I went back, my anxiety was so bad going in the house\u2014smelling it, seeing it,\u201d she said. \u201cI will never feel comfortable with [family] being in the house ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mother said she has struggled to sleep since the fire and worries whoever may be responsible could return.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if they come back like, \u2018Oh, we didn\u2019t finish the job, so we\u2019re going to do it again?\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a day-to-day thing,\u201d she said. \u201cI really don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here, so that\u2019s the biggest blessing,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything else will fall into place.\u201d<\/p>\n