A house fire has left three young adults dead. The incident has prompted an outpouring of grief in the community as family and friends gather at a memorial outside the burned home.
Flowers, candles, balloons, and stuffed animals lined the porch and yard of a fire-damaged house on Pecos Street in Las Vegas, where Austin Apodaca, 22, Geno Gonzales, 21, and Desiree Trujillo, 21, died due to the fire. Gonzales had been living in the house that belonged to his grandmother.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, authorities said. A joint statement by the police and fire departments does not consider foul play as one of the causes.
Friends and relatives described the three victims, who were cousins and close friends, as kind, spirited young people. Their deaths, they said, have shaken the small northern New Mexico community.
“They didn’t deserve what happened at all,” said Evan Pino, a friend who visited the memorial Monday. He can still hear their voices. “It breaks me.”
Fire response
The police and firefighters responded to reports of a house fire in the 1300 block of Pecos Street at around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. There was already heavy smoke and flames when they arrived.
Initial search of the blazing home found two of the victims. Emergency personnel attempted to revive them, but to no avail. They were later pronounced dead at the scene.
The responders discovered the third victim inside the house after the State Fire Marshal’s Office conducted the investigation. Local police and fire officials are also conducting parallel investigations.
“These incidents are devastating to our community and impact a large portion of our residents,” officials said in the statement.
“We ask that the community respect the families during their grieving process and provide support in any way possible,” the statement added.
Remembering the victims
The community knew both Apodaca and Gonzales as talented bull riders who traveled across the state competing in rodeos. Apodaca worked with the New Mexico Department of Transportation as a road maintenance crew.
His mother, Antonette Apodaca, described her son as outgoing. “Austin was very outgoing. He was a people person. He always had a smile on his face,” she said.
Apodaca’s brother, Aaron, remembered him as they often worked together on road projects. “We always did everything together. We lived together on the road; I saw him every day,” he said, adding that “we always looked out for each other.”
Gonzales’ mother, Andrea Leyba, said her son was loyal to his friends. He deeply valued family, she said. The mother described her son as “the type of friend that we all wish we had. He loved with his whole heart.”
The two young men frequently travel across New Mexico’s rodeo circuit together. In a social media post, the rodeo company TA Rodeo said the deaths were deeply felt in the rodeo community. “Their loss is deeply felt by our rodeo family and everyone who knew them,” the group said.
Meanwhile, Trujillo’s friends described her as cheerful and full of life. She is fun to be with, Pino said.
Trujillo had finished the cosmetology program at Luna Community College. She previously attended Robertson High School. Her father, Patrick Trujillo, said the family had been looking forward to seeing what path she would take in life.
Fire risks in the area
The incident happens as officials warn of increased fire risks in the region. A day before the fire, Las Vegas Fire Chief Steven Spann warned the public of several grass fires that had ignited within 48 hours.
A small spark could become a dangerous fire under the present weather conditions, the fire chief said.