Mesilla man holds fundraiser after tragic fire

Mesilla resident Ramon Ortega is still trying to recover after losing almost everything in a devastating fire back in November.

The fire destroyed his home and auto shop on the 4200 block of Highway 28.

Ortega has suffered emotionally and physically since the fire. Since he has no insurance, he held a fundraiser on Sunday to help with the cost.

“I didn’t know him personally but I’m hoping that if anything drastic ever happened to me, they’d come support me,” one Las Crucen said.

While the music and dancing may look like a lot of fun, getting to this point wasn’t easy for Ortega.

“When I saw that disaster it just tore me up and I got a heart attack right after that,” Ortega said.

He has since recovered, but his prized possessions will never be the same. His girlfriend showed ABC-7 around what used to be his home and shop.

“What would ease my mind is if they could catch whoever did that,” Ortega said.

Ortega tells ABC-7 he thinks someone intentionally set the fire, although the cause they’re told is undetermined.

While Ortega’s happy with the support he’s gotten, he says that unknowing fear of what sparked it, still haunts him.

“I haven’t been able to sleep and its just been really hard on me,” he said.

Multiple attempts to reach out to the county fire marshal about the cause of the fire and the status of the investigation were unsuccessful.

You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/n5db2ayg

Or, make a donation under Ramon Ortega’s name at the Bank of the Southwest in Las Cruces.