Storm topples gas station canopy in Las Cruces

Las Cruces Police and construction crews Friday shut down a small stretch of Madrid Street as they worked to move a gas station canopy out of the street.

A storm Thursday night brought lightning and wind to Las Cruces, knocking down the gas station canopy at Chucky’s Food Mart

“I am just amazed at what the wind can do,” said Syed Ashraf, the owner of Chucky’s Food Mart. “My maintenance guy calls me at 8:30 at night and I was having my dinner, he says ‘Your canopy fell off’ and I couldn’t believe it.”

Ashraf and maintenance supervisors have been overlooking efforts to remove the canopy from the middle of the street. “Contractors are coming out with four booms and cranes,” said Jaime Salazar, “They’re going to remove the structure for now, set it out back and cut it all up.”

Nothing besides the canopy itself was damaged, something the owner is grateful for. “It would have definitely been very significant damage, because if it had fallen down on the other side, it would have taken the pumps down and the store down and that would have been a major major accident,” said Ashraf.

The store will remain closed until the area where the canopy fell is safely cleared.