A man lost his home, two dogs and his truck in a devastating early Saturday morning fire that left him starting over from nothing on the city’s rural west side.
Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue crews responded at approximately 3:55 a.m. May 2 to reports of a fully engulfed residential structure in an automatic aid district — a mutual-aid response area shared with Sandoval County — in unincorporated Sandoval County west of Rio Rancho city limits. Crews determined conditions required a defensive exterior attack to contain the fire and protect nearby structures. While two of the homeowners’ dogs died in the fire, a third dog escaped when the homeowner first realized the home was on fire, according to Amanda Chacon, the homeowner’s daughter.
“Anyone who knows my dad knows how much his dogs meant to him,” Chacon said. “They were family. Losing them has been one of the most painful parts of this tragedy.”
Limited water supply in the rural area forced crews to operate off water carried on apparatus while establishing tender operations. Sandoval County Fire Rescue responded with a tender to provide additional water supply. Crews remained on scene to conduct overhaul before turning the scene over to Sandoval County Fire Department.
Chacon described the home as one her father spent two years building with his own hands. A GoFundMe campaign she launched to support his recovery had raised $455 toward a $6,500 goal as of Monday, with funds earmarked for replacing essential tools and materials, a generator — necessary for basic electricity — and a truck Chacon said was destroyed in the fire.
“He didn’t ask for help when he built his home the first time,” Chacon wrote on the campaign page. “He just put his head down and did the work. But this time, he can’t do it alone.”
Help a Rio Rancho man rebuild after losing his home: GoFundMe: gofund.me/fb59489e6