Fire investigators suspect arson in Las Cruces

Fire investigators suspect someone might have set ablaze an abandoned structure in central Las Cruces.

“It does concern me a lot,” said Natalia Contreras, who lives right next door on Nevarez Street near Solano Drive.

A message on the structure reads “KEEP OUT,” but Contreras told ABC-7 she has seen people drink on the abandoned property. On Friday, November 23, she said she was started by a blast.

“I heard a very big explosion and right away, I looked through the window,” Contreras said. “I told my husband, ‘What was that?’

The structure next door was completely engulfed in flames. Contreras said she worried the flames would reach her home.

“Policemen come and say, ‘You need to leave your house immediately,'” Contreras recalled. “I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘There’s a fire next door and it could reach to your property.'”

Police say a witness saw two women on the property. According to a news release, an explosion blew one of the women out of the door. Contreras said she saw someone leave the scene.

“I looked through the window and a car just jetted,” she told ABC-7.

“Fire investigators are just trying to find out who these women were,” said Dan Trujillo, a spokesman for the Las Cruces Police Department. “They would like to talk to them and find out hopefully the reason for the fire.”

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers offers anonymity to callers.