Neighbors save family trapped in mobile home fire

A woman saved a mother and son who were trapped inside a burning home early Tuesday morning on the 2200 block of Holiday Avenue in west Las Cruces.

Around 5 a.m., neighbors saw a strange light coming through their windows. That’s when they realized the trailer home next door was on fire.

“I started running next door to see if I could help my neighbor. That’s when I saw she was trying to open the door because she has bars on the windows,” said the neighbor, who did not want to be identified.

The neighbor left her own family behind to rush toward the burning home.

She said she rescued her neighbor Laura and Laura’s 3-year-old son through a window.

Laura’s other son, a 5-year-old, ran to get his puppy who was locked inside a cage. Another neighbor helped the little boy get out through the back door. Fire officials said the dog died in the fire.

“It was pretty devastating because no one expects something like this to happen to them,” said Noe Rodriguez, Laura’s brother.

Witnesses said Laura ran through the flames in her home to escape with her son. They said Laura broke a window with her bare hands.

“Her burns were very very bad. I could see her bones. When I was carrying her she was all full of blood. I could see her bones and its very sad and shocking,” the neighbor said.

Laura and her other son were flown to a burn center in Lubbock, Texas. Rodriguez said Laura had third-degree burns on her legs and cuts on her hands.

The neighbor said she didn’t think twice about running to help.

“I wanted to help her. I never thought about me getting burned or something. I didn’t care. I just wanted to help her,” she said.

Rodriguez said the family is so glad Laura and her boys are OK.

“By the look of the damage, we’re very grateful. If you look on the other side the damage is severe. Only by the grace of God she was able to be saved,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said Laura and her son are both recovering and doing OK.

Fire officials are still investigating what started the fire. They said it started in the porch area.