City steps in to secure fire ravaged house

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Neighbors told News 13 people are breaking into the Albuquerque heights home where an elderly woman was found dead after a fire.

It was a horrifying sight, flames devouring a home near Juan Tabo and Candelaria Northeast.

The 84-year-old homeowner Juanita Adams was still inside at the time and did not make it out.

"It's very tragic that she had to go this way," said Robert Trudo.

That fire happened earlier this month during the morning hours of January 5th.

Investigators still do not know if Adams was killed by the fire or if she was dead before flames swept through the house, they are waiting on a cause of death from the office of the medical examiner.

The cause of the fire is also still a mystery although it was ruled accidental.

Surveillance video from a neighbors house shows what looks like explosions in the back of Adams' home.

The damage to the house was pretty severe and after the fire was put out the house was red tagged by city inspectors.

"There is no supporting structure for the roof except on a very few limited locations and its in imminent danger of collapse should we get a good wind that roof will come down," Trudo said.

Even so, Trudo who is the neighborhood association president, said that threat and the fact that there is not a whole lot left of the house has not deterred some.

"There have been people coming by who apparently either were trying to retrieve their property inside or they were attempting to vandalize it," said Trudo.

Whatever the reason, the Safe City Strike Force told News 13 it is not safe enough to be in there, so they put up this fence around the house until it can be demolished.

"If they decide to come back again they're going to find some interesting other problems they're going to have to get through," Trudo said.

City inspectors were planning to demolish the home in a matter of days but had to put that off so OMI can go back in the home to keep investigating Adams' cause of death.

In addition, inspectors are also trying to secure a new contractor to do the demolition work, a new date has not been set but it should take place in the next two weeks.