Mayfield Fire Could Be Arson

Arson may be to blame for an early morning blaze at Mayfield High School Thursday.

After hours of sifting through rubble inside a torched portable building located in the back of the school near the track, investigators said, they have reason to believe the fire may have been intentional.

“There’s really no heat sources that would say, you know, ?it could have been this left on,? or, ?this shorted out causing it to catch fire,?? Wally Monsivaiz, fire investigator, said. ?We kinda started looking at maybe it was intentionally set.”

From beige to charred black, fire gutted the portable used for an auto class around 4 a.m.

Investigators said they looked at burn patterns and examined mounds of blackened ash, searching for any clues that may help them determine a definite cause.

Since the fire sparked outside of normal school hours, investigators said surveillance cameras on-campus may be the key component to confirming who may be to blame.

“I’m going to be checking all our perimeter cameras to get a good idea what time frame that either our alarm panel was going off or, specifically look for suspicious persons, cars, or whatever was on our campus,” Todd Gregory, security officer for Las Cruces Public Schools, said.

The fire melted about $15,000 worth of textbooks and diagnostic equipment, and also destroyed engine blocks, investigators said. Structure damage is estimated at $60,000.

A definite cause is yet to be confirmed, investigators said.