Serving Eastern New Mexico and West Texas
Courtesy photo: Jeanie Coffey Austin A fire at the Caprock in north Curry County Wednesday evening was approximately 60 percent contained by Thursday afternoon. CNJ staff State and local fire crews are working contain a blaze that has consumed about 600 acres of remote grassland along the boundary between Curry and Quay counties. The fire […]
CNJ staff photo: Tony Bullocks A grassfire burned about 5,000 acres Tuesday afternoon near Melrose. The fire was contained after about three hours. Melrose Mayor Tuck Monk said the fire is believed to have started off the side of the highway by either sparks from a vehicle or a discarded cigarette. Sharna Johnson A grass […]
CNJ staff photo: Sharna Johnson High winds kept a large grass fire going nearly all afternoon Sunday, pushing it from Melrose to just west of U.S. 70 in Clovis. Sharna Johnson Fire officials fear the massive fire that ripped through south Curry County on Sunday is only the beginning as dry, hot weather and high […]
CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo A Clovis fireman inspects the ceiling of the house. CNJ staff An afternoon house fire sent a woman to the hospital and claimed the lives of two family pets. The blaze Tuesday gutted a two-story home at 401 Sheldon Street, killing two family cats and displacing the family, said Clovis […]
Freedom New Mexico: Argen Duncan A fire broke out Friday morning in a warehouse located on Avenue C and 7th Street. The fire quickly spread to Dollar General as firefighters fought to contain it. Nearby homes were evacuated and some traffic was diverted because of the heavy smoke. By Clarence Plank: Freedom New Mexico A […]
CNJ staff photo: Tony Bullocks A Clovis firefighter sprays a burning residence at Grand Avenue and Thornton Street Monday afternoon.
Freedom New Mexico photo: Karl Terry Firefighters were called to a blaze at Pioneer Woodworkers, east of Portales, around 11 p.m. Thursday. Freedom New Mexico Staff Joe Chandler says he was just 50 feet from his shop when lightning struck Thursday evening sparking a fire. The Portales custom furniture business was destroyed by the blaze […]
Freedom Newspapers: Chelle Delaney Firefighters battle a blaze Friday that destroyed the Sands Dorsey building in Tucumcari. By Chelle Delaney: Freedom Newspapers TUCUMCARI — Fire destroyed the historic two-story Sands Dorsey building at Second and Main streets in Tucumcari Friday. No injuries were reported. The blaze erupted about 5 p.m. Firefighters were still on the […]
By Marlena Hartz: CNJ staff writer There is no vegetation to hold the dusty land in place after a fire burned about 27,000 acres of rangeland in southeastern New Mexico. A heavy coat of dirt sticks to the windows and covers the floors of Jeff Essary’s home. Reminders of the fire that devoured more than […]
By Andy Jackson: CNJ staff writer When O.B. Coffey saw smoke rising south of his home on the south side of Ute Lake in Logan on Saturday afternoon, he took a hose and wet things down around his home. A short while later, a sheriff’s deputy knocked on Coffey’s door. “The sheriff’s deputy came … […]
Staff and wire reports A grass fire that charred 1,500 acres of land along State Highway 467 and temporarily shut down two stretches of road Wednesday was ignited by a lit cigarette or the heat from a vehicle’s catalytic converter, according to a New Mexico State Forestry release. The blaze started in a ditch on […]
Freedom Newspapers Five feet and just a few seconds: That was the difference between life and death for 23-year-old firefighter Eva Schicke on Sept. 12, when she perished while battling a blaze in California’s Stanislaus National Forest. Schicke and other members of an elite helicopter forest fire fighting team suddenly found themselves scrambling for their […]
By Tova Fruchtman: CNJ staff writer Coordinators of the “Blaze the Nation” Youth Rally hope the Clovis-Carver Library parking lot in downtown Clovis will be crowded with people from 6 p.m. until 11p.m. Saturday night. Rene and Monica Herrara of Artesia founded “Blaze the Nations” youth ministry and have planned rallies in other cities similar […]
CNJ staff report The Clovis Fire Department is still searching for the cause of a fire that did about $65,000 damage Thursday morning to a one-family home at the 1800 block of Gerry. According to fire department reports, the department responded at 7:49 a.m., arriving at the scene five minutes later with six trucks and […]
A large cloud of smoke rises behind a home north of Clovis as a brush fire burns in the background Friday near State Route 209 and Curry County Road 16. The fire burned 100 acres Friday and 40 Saturday (CNJ photo by Eric Kluth) By Darrell Todd Maurina Officials from the Clovis Fire Department have […]
By Darrell Todd Maurina As Wayne Palla saw thick smoke rising over his two-story house north of Clovis, he gathered up his tools and went out along with other neighbors to help the firefighters. “Everybody really chipped in,” Palla said. “I think that’s one of the benefits of living in a rural community — everybody […]
By Darrell Todd Maurina The Clovis Fire Department and Curry County Sheriff’s Office suspect arson caused a Tuesday morning blaze near the corner of 21st and Sugarbeet on the northeast end of Clovis. “The fire was suspicious and will be treated as such until proven otherwise,” said Capt. Karen Burns of the Clovis Fire Department. […]
FREEDOM NEWSPAPERS Clovis firefighters extinguished a blaze in the bathroom of the Kripple Creek Restaurant, 2400 N. Prince, about 3 p.m. Thursday. No injuries were reported and damage was minor, officials said. Lt. Mike Inge of the Clovis Fire Department said seven employees and an undetermined number of diners were in the building when a […]
Freedom Newspapers TUCUMCARI — A massive pile of dead branches caught fire around 10 p.m. Tuesday, sending an orange glow over much of the north side of Tucumcari. The branches were at the wastewater treatment plant north of town. “It was about 30 (foot) by 30 when we got here,” said Tucumcari Assistant Fire Chief […]
