Sheriff’s office seeks public’s help to find person responsible for trailer fire

THOREAU, N.M.

The McKinley County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in trying to find the person responsible for setting a trailer on fire recently, according to a news release issued Thursday.

Sheriff Deputy Shane Bennett was the first county official to notice the fire. He said he was parked at the Giant station on New Mexico Route 371 about 11:42 p.m. on April 27 when he noticed an orange glow with flames coming from the Thoreau Mobile Home Park on Mountain Vista Road.

By the time he got there, the white travel trailer was totally engulfed in flames. As he parked his unit, he heard yelling coming from a nearby field and began searching for any residents of the park in order to evacuate them.

“As I approached the front door (north side) of the travel trailer, I heard and felt a large explosion coming from the south side of the trailer,” he wrote in his report.

Fire units from the Thoreau Fire Department arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and were able to get the fire extinguished but not until the trailer was totally destroyed.

Firefighters said there was no one inside the trailer at the time of the fire.

Firefighters suspected that it might have been caused by faulty electrical wiring or propane gas.

Sheriff investigators learned later, however, that the owner of the trailer was incarcerated at the time in the McKinley County Adult Detention Center. He later told investigators he was sure he turned everything off the last time he was in the trailer.

Neighbors also reported seeing a stranger in the area before the fire started and one neighbor said he sees intoxicated people all of the time.

For these reasons, the sheriff’s office is encouraging anyone who may have information to call Crimestoppers at 1-877-722-6161. The caller does not have to identify themselves and if the information leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the arson, the caller may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

---