Flames engulfed an abandoned mobile home on Fairview Lane in Española Tuesday afternoon, shutting down both lanes of traffic for over an hour as firefighters from four agencies battled the blaze.
Firefighters from Española, La Mesilla, Agua Sana and Santa Clara fire departments were dispatched to the scene around 1:25 p.m., Española Fire Chief John Kitchen said.
No one was in the house, an empty rental unit owned by RL Properties at 626 Fairview Lane just west of Riverside Drive, Española firefighter Jack Romero said.
Firefighters first broke out a large window on the west side of the house facing the street over the living room to put down large flames bursting out of the window, Romero said. Then they broke down the front door and were able to extinguish the flames within ten minutes, he said.
Kitchen said a heater near the living room apparently started the fire but he was unsure why utilities to the house were still on if no one was living there. Kitchen said he was awaiting confirmation on the fire’s source from state Fire Marshal investigators.
Romero described the heater in question as an electric- and gas-powered furnace.
“It wrecked the living room, the hallway, the kitchen — everything, man,” Romero said.
Romero said the house was devoid of inhabitants and furniture, and none of the 15 firefighters on the scene were injured putting down the flames.
Toby Wedel said he saw the fire break out at around 1 p.m. from across the street where he was moving into a new apartment.
“All the sudden I just looked up and there was lots of smoke coming out of the windows,” Wedel said. “Some guy came up (to the house) and kicked in the front door to see if anyone was in there, and I guess maybe that guy called the cops.”
Wedel said he didn’t know who the man was, and several other neighbors said they did not see anyone near the house except firefighters.
Kitchen said he didn’t know who called in the fire.
Whatever the source, the blaze was the first for rookie Española firefighter Jerome Archuleta.
“It was a good experience,” Archuleta said. “I was a little nervous before, but the adrenaline kicked in, and I just went with it.”
Española firefighter John Wickersham commended his team’s work after the fire.
“Normally with a little mobile home like this there won’t be anything left,” he said. “But this one’s still standing, so I think we did a pretty good job.”
Though the building was still intact Tuesday afternoon, Kitchen said the blaze was probably a total loss for the building’s owner, former city councilor JR Trujillo. Trujillo said the home will cost between $25,000 and $30,000 to replace, plus about $8,000 in lost rent revenue, but it was insured through RL Properties.