A fire near the Moriarty Municipal Airport, east of Albuquerque, burned nearly 200 acres and multiple homes, including one owned by Richard Phillips.
“I lost everything,” Phillips told KRQE. “I lost all my kids' baby pictures, ultrasounds, and all my family’s photos. Everything that had to deal with my family.”
Torrance County emergency manager Samantha O’Dell told KRQE a grass fire started around 11 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters from around the state responded, including departments from Santa Fe, Bernalillo, and Sandoval County. But high winds fanned the flames and made it difficult for them to contain the blaze.
O’Dell said one firefighter was injured and taken to a hospital. He has since been released.
Most residents returned to their homes when the fire was contained and evacuation orders were lifted. Phillips said his family has nothing to go home to.
“Me and a bunch of the residents around me grabbed shovels and started trying to get the fire out,” Phillips said. “We got engulfed in the fire when it reached toward the house and then there was no saving it. We moved on to try to help other people.”
Phillips is relieved none of his neighbors were injured.
“The thing that I can say is my fiancé and her child is safe,” he said. “I’m safe. My neighbors that I love dearly, they are safe. That’s basically where I’m at. I might have lost everything, but people are helping us.”
Megan Sandoval, who lives in the neighborhood, was among those who sat in their vehicles for hours as they waited for approval to return to their homes and inspect the damage.
“Just worried and, honestly, can’t wait to get home and [see if] everybody else is OK," she said. "Hopefully whoever was affected by this, their families are okay too."
According to O'Dell the blaze consisted of three grass fires and burned a total of 175 acres. An investigation into the cause is ongoing.