29-04-2025
Fire destroys multiple homes in Grants overnight
GRANTS, N.M. (KRQE) – Some families in Grants do not have a home Monday night after a wind-fueled wildfire tore through their neighborhood Sunday night. The police said the fire spread in nearly ten minutes and left residents with almost no time to get out.
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One family who spoke to KRQE News 13 said they're now dealing with the heartbreak of seeing what's left of their home. 'Awful, it was awful, it was a nightmare,' said Jaclyn Perez, resident who lost her home to the fire.
Jacyln Perez said her family was inside when the wildfire sparked nearby. It spread so fast, they only had time to grab their pets before leaving. When they came back, they were left in disbelief. 'And it's just walking in and everything is just gone, just burned,' said Michael Perez, resident who lost his home to the fire.
The city said the Alamo Fire sparked around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday night. Starting in an open field, then spreading to nearby mobile homes in just 10 minutes. At least six homes and eight outbuildings were destroyed. The Perez family said that despite the danger, neighbors stepped up to help. 'The community has been so amazing. I mean, yesterday, how many people that were here helping trying to get everything out, helping the firefighters, I was one dragging the hoses to one of the fire hydrants,' said Jaclyn Perez.
While no people were hurt, Perez lost a cat in a fire. While the flames are fully contained and evacuations are over, longtime neighbor Ray Olivas said it's devastating to see what's happened in the place he's called home for 40 years. 'We just couldn't believe it. There was so much smoke, we didn't know what was going on, where the fire started, how it started, but it was a terrible thing we've never seen anything like that before,' said Ray Olivas, resident of the neighborhood.
He lost his home, but Michael Perez said he's grateful his family and neighbors are okay. 'See what we can salvage from the house, see what's okay still. Take that and just step by step, day by day, and just go from there really,' said Michael Perez.
The Grants Police Department is now investigating, but so far, crews believe the fire was human-caused. The Grants Fire Department is also warning people that the town, along with the neighboring Milan and Cibola County is now under a burn ban.
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