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Fire at abandoned building stops traffic on Menaul and University
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An abandoned warehouse next to the Querque Hotel caught fire Monday afternoon. No one was reported injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesperson Jason Fejer said some 24 units responded to the call after reports of a gas leak, which turned into an active fire. Fire Rescue battled the blaze with multiple aerial and ground streams for 2½ hours before the flames finally were extinguished.
Crews would be on scene through the night to monitor the fire. The structural fire caused the roof of the building to collapse and damages from the fire caused a total loss of the building. Firemen on site said they were concerned the north wall of the building could collapse, but as of late Monday, the wall was still standing. The building had been used to store Querque Hotel supplies and was storage for a nonprofit.
At the time of the fire, Menaul was shut down in both directions west of University.
Witnesses near the scene said they drove by the building and noticed unusual amounts of smoke, causing them to pull over near the hotel.
Catherine Cortinas was driving on an errand “when I saw a bunch of smoke. I pulled over to take some pictures and videos. I saw two cats inside the building, so I hope they’re OK.”
PNM cut roughly 200 feet of utility wire and removed a meter in the surrounding area to aid fire rescue, according to spokeswoman Terri Reishus. It is unknown how long it will take to repair the wiring.
