Fireworks suspected in foothills fire

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Bernalillo County fire officials believe illegal fireworks may be to blame for a fire that broke out in the Albuquerque foothills Sunday. Residents grabbed hoses and filled buckets to try and put out the flames before crews arrived.

The fire sparked around 5 p.m. Bernalillo County fire units were first on scene. The lieutenant immediately called for more crews as flames reached more than 10 feet high and moved across almost two acres in a matter of minutes.

“He needed additional resources that there was one structure possibly in danger,” Bernalillo County Fire Commander Corey Finch said.

Finch said when crews arrived on scene residents were already trying to douse the flames with garden hoses and buckets of water. Paul Parker was among the group. His home was initially sitting right in the path of the fire.

“I was out with a hose trying to keep it away from our house,” Parker said. “I had to leave the flames got too intense.”

Parker left his garden hose behind. It was badly charred along with some of his fruit trees.

“About five or six got a little toasty,” Parker said.

Parker’s home was safe again after the wind changed and the fire passed his house. However, Parker and his wife Betty were still concerned about their neighbors.

“It was heading down toward one of the houses, all the wind had to do was shift and it would have went to one of the houses,” Betty Parker said. “It was pretty scary.”

More than two dozen fire fighters, from Bernalillo County and Albuquerque raced to keep the flames from spreading.

After the flames were all put out and hot spots were cooled. Fire investigators picked up several fireworks near the area where they believed the fire started.

“We did find some evidence of fireworks at three different locations,” Finch said. “One was a tube that had crackling balls.”

Betty Parker said she was annoyed once she found out the fire may have been caused by fireworks.

“I’m not very happy about that,” Parker said.

Fire officials said the fireworks, they bagged for evidence, were not even supposed to be the County.

“It was obviously illegal in Bernalillo County,” Finch said.

Fire crews were worried the fire would jump the street. The Commander said if that had happened the outcome could have been very bad.

An exact cause of how the fire started has yet to be determined.