LOS LUNAS — Two homes were deemed a “total loss” after a fire erupted Saturday, April 16, in the neighborhood off of Camelot Drive. No one was hurt during the incident.
Photo posted by Adrian Stark on GoFundMe of a Los Lunas home destroyed by house fire near Camelot Boulevard.
“It was extremely wind driven,” said Los Lunas Fire Chief John Gabaldon. “We had about 20 to 30 mile per hour winds at times during that fire, so that played a big factor into the spread.”
The fire began at about 4:15 p.m. Saturday near the corner Panada Drive and Pandora Drive, which runs parallel with Camelot.
Winds caused the burn to jump to an adjacent single-family residence, causing half of each duplex to be destroyed in the fire. The fire department launched an investigation into the cause of the blaze since they received conflicting stories at the scene.
Both residences were occupied at the time, however the families who resided in the homes were able to make it out safely. The American Red Cross and the Los Lunas Police Department were able to assist the families who lost their homes.
A GoFundMe account was set up for at least one family affected by the fire. Donations can be made through the campaign, “Donate to help Adrian and family rebuild.”
“This is one indicator as to why we have a burn ban in place right now in Valencia County,” Gabaldon said. “With high winds and dry weather, it does make it challenging to fight this type of fires. It’s very important to keep our areas, our residences clear from debris around it — at least 36 inches.”
Makayla Grijalva was born and raised in Las Cruces. She is a 2020 graduate of The University of New Mexico, where she studied multimedia journalism, political science and history.
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