A wildfire on March 1 destroyed three structures in the Route 66 ghost town of Cuervo, N.M., and damaged another, reported the current print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator, based in nearby Santa Rosa.
The newspaper reported:
Nobody was injured in the blaze, which has left a big, black scar on a stretch of Historic Route 66 that already had seen better days. […]
Wind-whipped flames spread quickly through the dry grass, soon engulfed the small house, the garage and a trailer that was used as a post office before it was closed several years ago. The fire also badly damaged the back of the former service station.
The smoke cloud could be seen about 10 miles away, on the eastern outskirts of Santa Rosa, and turned day into night on all four lanes of Interstate 40. The highway was closed in both directions.
Firefighters keep the blaze from reaching Cuervo Gas & Wrecker, the only remaining operating business in Cuervo.
The Communicator posted photos from the fire scene on its Facebook page here and here.
The newspaper said the owners of the house could not get insurance because no fire hydrants exist in Cuervo.
Santa Rosa Fire Chief Gilbert Romero said the fire was suspicious.