SAN ANTONIO – Southwest Side resident Joey Cipriano stated he from time to time feels uneasy opening his doorways and home windows, understanding his circle of relatives house is blocks clear of Monterrey Iron & Metal Recycling.
“We can’t accept this anymore,” Cipriano stated. “(Neighbors) had to leave their homes because they couldn’t breathe for the sixth time.”
The San Antonio Fire Department showed that since 2021, gadgets have answered to 6 reported construction hearth calls at the scrap yard situated on Frio City Road. The most up-to-date hearth came about on Sept. 21.
Cipriano is only one of dozens coming ahead with protection concerns about residing close to Monterrey Iron. More than 40 other folks packed a local assembly Thursday evening, pleading to state and town officers for assist.
“We just want to know why. What’s going on? Why is it getting so bad now compared to what it was 20 years ago?” puzzled Rudy Lopez, the vp of the Thompson Neighborhood Association.
12 video archives display SAFD has answered to calls at this scrap yard for just about a decade. During the newest hearth on Sept. 21, SAFD crews answered to the hearth first round 3:30 p.m. They closed the decision simply after 1 a.m. at the early morning of Sept. 22.
SAFD stated when crews generally reply to this location, it’s as a result of burning scrap subject material and equipment. A spokesperson with SAFD showed Hazmat has answered to a few of these fires however discovered via air and runoff tracking no reportable amounts discovered. That method there was once no fast threat to the encircling neighborhoods.
But nonetheless, concerns are prime amongst neighbors and now state officers, too.
“What (they) don’t have the right to do is endanger the neighborhood,” stated state Sen. Jose Menendez of District 26.
In an emailed remark to 12, Monterrey Iron stated they take neighbors’ concerns critically.
“We have been a part of this community since 1916, employ most of our staff from the local area, participate in community-building events and support fellow businesses and nonprofits that serve our neighborhoods,” Jordan Vexler, the COO, stated. “We play an integral role in the recycling process that keeps recyclable products out of landfills.”
In that remark, Monterrey Iron stated the six fires have been “beyond our control.” It stated the gang is skilled in hearth protection and prevention and has a “satisfactory rating” with the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
A TCEQ consultant was once intended to wait the group assembly on Thursday evening, however no person confirmed up. Instead, Menendez learn a file from TCEQ dated Nov. 9 that stated its San Antonio Regional Office had 32 investigations into the scrap yard, and one was once nonetheless open as of early October.
At the assembly, an professional with code enforcement reported 18 instances with Monterrey Iron, all pending in courtroom. That officer stated that, up to now, there were no convictions as instances stay getting “reset.”
Neighbors say they’re residing in concern, searching for assist, and hoping this assembly is a begin to a larger answer.
“Every single fire that happens in our community just brings us down a little bit more,” Cipriano stated.
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