Church Fire - 12/28/08 - Flora Vista, NM

On December 28, 2008 at approximately 15:39 hours, firefighters from San Juan County Fire Department’s District 2 were notified of a fire at the Church of the Nazarene. Units arrived to find smoke showing from the 100’ X 70’ two story metal building located at 1061 New Mexico Highway 516. As command started to assess the situation, addition mutual aid units were requested to the scene to assist the fire suppression efforts and water supply needs.

The fire was located on the first floor of the structure in the area of the Church’s Sanctuary. Once the bulk of the fire was knocked down, extensive overhaul was required to extinguish hot spots that had extended through the interior walls. While the Sanctuary saw the brunt of the fire damage, the remainder of the building suffered extensive smoke and heat damage. This incident occurred in the midst of a regional cold snap, with the temperature on the fireground hovering around 25º F.

Responding companies included San Juan County Fire Department’s District 2 (Flora Vista), District 8 (Hart Valley), District 7 (Center Point), District 3 (Cedar Hill), as well as the Aztec and Farmington Fire Departments. The fire was brought under control in approximately 90 minutes. Investigation into the origin and cause of the blaze is being conducted by the San Juan County Fire Marshal’s Office.