Alamogordo family loses home, pets in raging blaze

London Sifuentes was released from the hospital Jan. 10 after spending days in a coma and suffering from burns, but she has no home to recover in because the fire that injured her destroyed the family home on Incredible Court Wednesday, Jan. 3.

“My daughter screamed for me when I was asleep in the bedroom and I had just seen the recliner on fire,” Sifuentes said. “I knew that two of my kids were up front, waiting on the porch, but I ran back in trying to look for my youngest one, yelling her name and I could not find her, one of the rooms was locked so I ran back out to break a window and that is when all the fire pressure burst in my face.”

Sifuentes said even after being scorched by flames, cut from flying glass and breathing in smoke she could not stop until she found her baby.

“I ran back around and came inside after I heard my oldest yell ‘I found her,'” she said. “So, I grab my 2-year-old daughter and I yell at everyone to run across the street as far as they can get.”

Sifuentes said all she could think of was getting as far away as possible, fearing a gas tank would cause the home to explode. Once across the street Sifuentes said she collapsed from exhaustion.

“I just can’t believe this happened. I felt like when I woke up from the hospital it was all a dream,” she said.

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Homeowner Helen Gonzalez, Sifuentes’ grandmother, said although she is saddened to lose a home, she is thankful for the support the community has shown the family during this hardship.

Gonzalez is also the owner of Yum Yums, a small restaurant in Tularosa, New Mexico where most of her family works.

“We’re so thankful for all the help we have gotten,” Gonzalez said. “Although I lost a home, and it’s tough. We have had so much support and help that I just want to say thank you.”

Gonzalez said her granddaughter and grandkids have had to stay at a hotel. She said her granddaughter was dealt the worst damage when she inhaled smoke trying to get all the children out.

“My granddaughter got burned in that fire, her face and arms got burned, making sure all the four children were out,” Gonzalez said.

Bailey Morales, one of Gonzalez’s grandchildren organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to help Gonzalez care for her grandchildren while their mother is still in recovery.

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Helen’s House Fire, organized by Bailey Morales

Nothing inside the home was salvageable. The few items the family could retrieve needed to be washed several times to remove smoke and stains.

Sifuentes and Gonzalez said the family also lost pets during the fire.

“We had three dogs, one survived but two were lost in the fire. We were able to find one of their remains but we couldn’t find the other,” Sifuentes said. “We’re still looking for his bones though, we want to bury him too.”

Officials determined the fire was an accident; Sifuentes said she believes the fire started from a faulty outlet inside the home that created a spark.

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“I think that this outlet created a spark or caught fire and we had a recliner in this spot which probably caught fire which led to the walls,” she said.

Gonzalez said she now worries about a timely cleanup of the property to avoid fines, further impacting the family’s ability to recover from the tragedy.

“But after all this you think the last thing, I need to worry about is how much time I have to clean this up? I’m worried about where my grandbabies are going to sleep,” Gonzalez said.

The Alamogordo Department Fire Investigation Unit and Alamogordo Police Department Detectives Division continue to conduct a joint investigation, according to Alamogordo Fire Department Lieutenant William Skaggs.

Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter at @Juan36Corr.