Midnight Rodeo has a fiery last call, spotlighting San Antonio's housing gaps

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Midnight Rodeo has a fiery last call, spotlighting San Antonio's housing gaps

City officials say the iconic dance hall may have fallen victim to homeless people sheltering in the abandoned business.

Author: Sue Calberg
Published: 5:32 PM CDT November 2, 2022
Updated: 6:52 PM CDT November 2, 2022

SAN ANTONIO — What had been an iconic northeast-side dance hall for decades is a pile of smoking rubble now, after a three-alarm fire raced through Midnight Rodeo building about 4 a.m. Wednesday.

San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said he believes the cause of the fire might be related to homeless people who had taken refuge in the cavernous 25,000-square-foot building. ... “At this time we’re calling it suspicious because of homelessness,” Hood said.

Longtime neighbors of the building, which had been vacant for years, said the massive structure, which was set back from both Nacogdoches and Thousand Oaks roads, offered a sheltered hiding place for homeless people.

“When they hit bankruptcy, the grass had not been cut in months," said one residents who called herself Vanessa. "There was trash everywhere. There was an outside area, so the homeless would camp out there.

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