False Alarms Preceded Deadly Blaze at Texas High-Rise

Survivors of a fire at a senior-living complex near San Antonio, Texas, that killed five people say false alarms were routine at the 11-story building.

Residents of the Wedgwood Senior Living apartments told the San Antonio Express-News in a story published Jan. 4 that they felt no urgency when they first heard the alarm shortly after 6 a.m. on Dec. 28.

At least 20 people were sent to hospitals. The five residents killed were all in their 70s or 80s. A sixth Wedgwood resident died two days later, but officials have not said if the fire contributed to her death.

Authorities are still investigating what caused the early morning blaze.

Three of the people who died were on the third floor and two on the seventh floor.