High Winds, Dry Conditions a Factor in Two El Paso Structure Fires

El Paso, Texas–High winds on Sunday kept firefighters and utility crews busy as several businesses and a home caught fire in the Lower Valley.

Power outages were reported throughout El Paso.

A large fire with visible flames and smoke erupted just after 3 p.m. Sunday along the 7100 block of North Loop, said George De La Torre, a spokesman for the El Paso Fire Department.

The fire engulfed construction debris stored behind a building and spread to a nearby home. That house belonged to Casas Por Cristo, a nonprofit organization that builds houses for poor people in Mexico. A Husky puppy died at the scene, he said.

Three volunteers were staying in the house but were not there at the time of the fire, De La Torre said. The American Red Cross of El Paso is assisting them in finding a place to stay.

Wind-swept sparks from the house fire helped start a new fire at a business with pallets and machinery on Chino Street, De La Torre said. That fire was quickly put out by 5:15 p.m.

Cause of the fire is still unknown, De La Torre said. Twenty-three fire units and 60 firefighters responded to the original call.

“High winds and dry conditions played a big factor in this fire,” De La Torre said.

Other firefighters responded to several calls of downed electrical lines and falling trees Sunday because of winds gusting beyond 50 mph, officials said.

As winds roared through El Paso, scattered outages were reported in parts of Northeast El Paso, Central El Paso and West El Paso, said Teresa Souza, a spokeswoman for El Paso Electric Co.

She said El Paso Electric crews worked to restore power all day long.

A tree fell on two vehicles at North Lee Street in Central El Paso, and a tree branch was removed from the middle of the street at Montoya Drive and Jardin Bello Avenue. No injuries were reported, fire dispatchers said.

At El Paso International Airport, at least two flights were canceled and others were delayed due to weather conditions.

Two United Airlines flights to Houston were canceled Sunday afternoon because of high winds, said Liz Bellegarde, a spokeswoman for El Paso International Airport.

Other flights coming to El Paso from Albuquerque, Houston and Dallas were delayed, she said.

Blowing dust and wind between 45 to 48 mph, with gusts as high as 74 mph, continued into late Sunday.

El Paso International Airport reported gusts of 66 mph, while there was a gust of 74 mph in Northeast El Paso, said Jason Laney, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Santa Teresa.

Today, El Pasoans will see winds around 20 mph with gusts reaching 30 mph and temperatures in the 50s, Laney said.

“About 20 degrees cooler than Sunday,” Laney said.

There also is a 20 percent chance of rain for El Paso.

Aileen B. Flores may be reached at aflores@elpasotimes.com; 546-6362.

David Burge may be reached at dburge@elpasotimes.com; 546-6126.