SAN ANTONIO — Bulldozers ripped into the walls of the old Lone Star Brewery as San Antonio firefighters battled heavy smoke for more than 17 hours in the latest fire to strike the historic south-side landmark.

The call came in shortly after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, when crews arrived to find smoke trapped inside the walls of the massive structure. By 9 a.m. Thursday, Battalion Chief John Castillo and his team arrived to relieve those on scene.

Because of the brewery’s deteriorating condition, firefighters couldn’t go inside. The building, Castillo said, is riddled with holes in the second and third floors.

“There’s so many holes inside… it’s been deemed a dangerous structure,” Castillo said.

Fire crews set up camp on the exterior, but made little progress. Eventually, Public Works crews w

See Full Page