3 buildings catch fire in 12-hour period in Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Three separate buildings caught fire in Las Cruces over a 12-hour period between Tuesday and early Wednesday. The fire department is now urging all residents to be vigilant. They recommend Las Crucens keep their smoke detectors in good working condition and keep a fire extinguisher at hand at all times.

The first fire started just after 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The building is located on the 800 block of South Main Street. Crews arrived to find a small fire outside a motel. The firefighters opened up the attic space and were able to extinguish the fire. The resident was able to escape. Investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire.

The second fire happened around 6 p.m. Tuesday on the 3100 block of Executive Hills Road. No one was inside the house when the fire happened. The fire caused flame and smoke damage. One resident was treated for smoke inhalation. Emergency crews rushed the person to the hospital. Investigators say that improperly stored fireplace ash contributed to the fire.

The third fire happened just before 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday. An apartment building on the 1100 block of Heather Avenue caught fire. Crews arrived to find that one resident had suffered significant burns, but had managed to escape the fire on their own. Emergency crews rushed the person to the hospital for treatment. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control within 15 minutes. The cause remains under investigation.