Community Comes Together After Fire Destroys Downtown Businesses, Leaving Several Unemployed

The fire burned down their buildings, but it didn’t break their spirit. Residents of Cloudcroft, New Mexico– a small mountain village about 100 miles northeast of El Paso– came together Sunday afternoon to help those who lost their jobs because of a devastating fire earlier this week.

Officials say flames broke out in the village’s historic downtown shopping area at about 3:30 a.m. on Monday. No one was hurt and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Today the community, whose population is fewer than 800, gathered at the scene of the fire to help lift spirits and raise funds.

Neighbors held hands and formed a circle of solidarity as they participated in a “healing ceremony.” A community leader told them, “You are never alone. We’ve got this love that is unstoppable!”

It was a special moment for those who lost their livelihoods in the fire, including Chuck Venable. “(The fire) was pretty horrific. I told someone it’s like losing a family member in a sense,” he said. Venable owned a cafe in the historic street that was reduced to rubble. It had been in his family for almost three decades. “It’s going to be emotional for a while,” he said of the loss.

Despite the heart-ache, Venable and others were laughing and smiling at Sunday’s event. Why? “Bar none, Cloudcroft has the best neighbors and community on the planet,” he said.

Those neighbors have set up a relief fund for those affected by Monday’s fire at a local bank. They also organized a silent auction and raffle. “All the money raised will help them get through christmas,” said Mayor Dave Venable.

To further spread the christmas spirit, volunteers untagled rows of lights and hand picked decorations to hang on donated trees that lined the fence securing the wreckage left behind by the blaze. “It’s to kind of shield the ugliness,” said the mayor. “People are being taken care of. That’s what’s happening here”

The flames spared most of the stores downtown– shop owners tell ABC-7 they hope the public will continue to come in and spend time in Cloudcroft. The community depends on tourism dollars this time of year.