Mesilla Man Accidentally Burned Down Own Home

Alive but homeless. A family of four lost everything they owned, when their mobile home on Snow Road in Mesilla went up in smoke Tuesday. The home?s owner told our New Mexico Mobile Newsroom, he is responsible for burning down his own home.

His 5 and 6-year-old daughters were at school and his wife was at the store when Miguel Gonzalez said he was outside in the yard – and with the strike of a match, watched everything he owned go up in flames.

“I can’t believe it,? Gonzalez said, as he watched his home burn from the ground up. ?It?s hard to believe ? a match and some dry grass.”

That is all it took for Gonzalez to burn down his home. Gonzalez said he had just lit a cigarette and tossed the match on the ground when a burst of wind came and sparked a fire.

“I didn’t think it’d catch on fire that fast,” Gonzalez said.

But it did. Gonzalez? 6-month pregnant wife, Nancy Ramirez, watched with disbelief as thick plumes of black and white smoke suffocated her family?s new home ? all their belongings inside and uninsured.

“My pictures, my furniture, brand new TV, my fridge?we lost everything,? Ramirez said. ?You never think it would happen to you.”

Gonzalez was not able to walk inside his home to assess the damage, because a firefighter told him most of the floor is gone. The fire traveled up through the flooring, making it impossible to even walk around inside the home, the firefighter said.

It was an accident, Gonzalez said. But it is hard not to look back with regret.

“It’s too late for you to say like, ?I shouldn’t have been around there.?”

Thanksgiving will take on a special meaning this year, as Gonzalez and Ramirez are thankful everything lost can eventually be replaced.

“I’m glad that everybody’s okay, that nobody was in there,? Ramirez said. ?That?s the good thing.?

The family said they will temporarily stay with relatives. Firefighters said this is a reminder to everyone how any fire, even used for something as simple as lighting a cigarette, can be terribly dangerous if not handled responsibly.