A vacant adobe house being renovated to house a small business in the Abiquiú plaza was burned Feb. 28 in a suspected arson.
“We got the call at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday,” Abiquiú Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Paulette Jordan said. “Four firefighters from Abiquiú responded with help from eight or nine from the Agua Sana (Fire) Department. It took until 10:30 a.m. to put it out. It kept flaring up because of tar on the roof.”
The house, which suffered extensive fire, smoke and water damage, was undergoing repairs in preparation for rental, owner Isabel Trujillo said.
“There is no chance at all that it was an accident,” Trujillo said. “The state Fire Marshal said they used gasoline. (My husband) Virgil’s part of the (Abiquiú) land grant so it doesn’t make sense that it would involve the land grant other than it being an old house that was being improved for some sort of small business. I think it’s about people not being comfortable with a small business going up in the Pueblo.”
Many in the land grant oppose businesses going up in the pueblo that might attract more tourists, Trujillo said.
“The traffic that comes in for Georgia O’Keefe can’t be stopped,” she said. “Residents don’t want to see businesses go up, but visitors are unaware of what people might want.”
Abiquiú Land Grant President Gilbert Ferran did not return a call for comment.
The home was worth $80,000, Trujillo said. It was not insured.
Trujillo was appointed to the Rio Arriba County Planning and Zoning Board in January. Now she worries that decisions she makes on the Board may invite vendettas.
“You can’t help but worry,” Trujillo said.
Neighbors like Mauricio Tena, who lives next to the burned house, were tight-lipped Tuesday.
“I saw nothing,” Tena said.
Agua Sana Assistant Fire Chief Alfredo Montoya confirmed that the fire appeared to be an arson but would not answer questions about the fire, deferring to Jordan. County Fire Marshal Jerome Sanchez and County Emergency Manager Mateo DeVargas would not comment.