EL PASO, TEXAS (KTSM) — A broken-hearted family is mourning the death of one of their loved ones after a large fire in Canutillo ravaged three to four homes on Sunday evening, May 5.
KTSM spoke with one of the families whose home was destroyed by the fire. Eduardo Hidalgo had lived in the home for over 20 years. He says he has nothing left anymore.
Hidalgo is not only mourning the loss of his home, and all his personal belongings, but also the death of his brother, Manuel Hidalgo.
Local fire officials have not identified the man who died in Sunday’s fire, but the family has confirmed his identity.
Hidalgo said he first realized something was wrong after he heard a loud bang twice. He went to his backyard and realized a fire had broken out.
“The flames were like 20 feet high already,” Hidalgo said.
“I started praying for my brother. I knew he was not going to make it. The fire was too hot, but I could still hear him saying, ‘Please get me out.’ I couldn’t get into that fire; it was too hot,” Hidalgo said.
Luckily, his brother’s wife and grandchild managed to escape the flames through a window, Hidalgo said.
The Hidalgo family is left reeling with many questions left unanswered. They say it took fire crews an hour to arrive. Anahi Hidalgo, the daughter of Eduardo Hidalgo, thinks maybe things could have been different if fire crews arrived earlier.
“I feel like if the firefighters were here on time, I mean, maybe, I don’t know… The house went up so fast, but at least there wouldn’t have been so much damage. My dad would have still had his house. The neighbors in the back, they also got affected by it. I think they could have helped if they came a little earlier. It would have been prevented a little more,” Anahi Hidalgo said.
The fire drew a multi-agency response. Enrique Duenas, spokesperson for El Paso Fire, said the West Valley Fire initially responded to the fire at 6th Street and Park Avenue at about 5:31 p.m.. It took them eight minutes to arrive, Duenas said.
At 6:10, West Valley Fire requested additional assistance from El Paso Fire because the fire was rapidly spreading. Nine minutes later, El Paso Fire arrived on scene, Duenas said.
Canutillo is an unincorporated community in El Paso County and relies only on volunteer fire departments like West Valley Fire.
The Red Cross was at the scene of the incident on Sunday night assisting any displaced residents. KTSM also spoke to Jocelyn Cepeda, a social worker for the Canutillo Independent School District who said, they are working to assist the Hidalgo family with supplies and clothing.
Anahi Hidalgo told KTSM fire crews are not helping the affected families with cleanup, and they have not provided any resources for them either. She also says they are working to get a GoFundMe page going.
The County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire at this time.
Photos courtesy of Anahi Hidalgo
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