RV catches fire in back of auction business off I-25 near McLeod
May 13—A recreational vehicle caught fire in the back of Bentley & Associates on Monday near Interstate 25 and McLeod.
According to an Albuquerque Fire Rescue post, no one was injured. The resulting plume of dark, black smoke could be seen from several miles away at one point.
According to Fire Rescue, the fire started in a semi-trailer that was densely packed with old electronics and cardboard. The fire then extended to an adjacent RV. The semi and RV were destroyed.
"Engine 15 had to establish a water supply and have the yard utilize equipment to open up the trailer so crews could extinguish the fire utilizing handlines and master streams," the Fire Rescue post states.
Trucks Unique General Manager Carl Masten told the Journal he was inside the business at about noon when he heard a "couple of small explosions" next door.
"If the wind was blowing in this direction, I would have shut down and got everyone out of here, instead of breathing that (expletive), " he said.
Masten said an employee came out to look at the fire, told him about it and then called 911.
"There's no telling whether (the RV) had wiring problems," Masten said. "It could have been anything that started that fire."
He said the eight fleet trucks the company was outfitting for customers had to be moved, but there was no damage to Trucks Unique property.
According to Fire Rescue, the cause remains unknown.
