By KRWG News
Las Cruces – Las Cruces Firefighters extinguished a fire Tuesday evening in a north Las Cruces residence.
The fire department was called to a report of a house fire in the 2300-block of Mars Ave. at around 8:30 p.m. The first arriving fire unit reported heavy smoke coming from the residence. Crews encountered high heat and zero visibility inside the structure. On two occasions firefighters were forced out of the house because of deteriorating fire conditions. The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes.
The family was home and asleep at the time of the fire. They escaped without injury. Red Cross was called to assist the displaced family. Three cats perished in the blaze.
The fire destroyed the garage and caused severe smoke and heat damage to the remainder of the house. The total damage to the residence and cause of the fire has not been determined.