Firefighters put out four fires in 16-hour period

Las Cruces firefighters extinguished three structure fires and a brush fire during a 16-hour period beginning Wednesday, March19.

Firefighters were dispatched to the report of a commercial structure fire on the 1700 block of north Valley Drive on at about 1:20 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. Crews encountered heavy smoke coming from the building and quickly determined the fire was in the attic. Firefighters located the source of the fire and contained it to a small section of the building.

The fire was brought under control with 20 minutes.

Later that same afternoon, shortly after 5 p.m. firefighters were dispatched to a residential structure fire on the 1900 block of Coleen Avenue. Crews arrived to find a storage shed and other items on fire in the backyard of the residence. The fire was contained within minutes.

Also on Wednesday, shortly after 7 p.m., fire personnel were called to a brush fire in the area near Elks Drive and Desert Bloom Drive. Elks Drive had to be temporarily closed for about an hour as crews stopped the fire from spreading to two nearby homes.

In the early hours of the next morning, fire crews were dispatched to a residential structure fire at 4:50 a.m. Thursday, March 20, in the 1500 block of north Mesquite Street. Firefighters initiated fire suppression efforts and had the blaze contained to one room in about five minutes.

Fire investigators continue working to determine what started all four fires. Damage estimates on the three structure fires has yet to be determined.