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Suspect charged with arson in Los Lunas fire
Plumes of smoke hit the sky by the bosque near Peach Blossom Road in Los Lunas on Sunday.
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A Los Lunas man has been accused of setting a fire in the bosque that went on to destroy nearly a dozen homes in a neighborhood along the river.
Jacob LaHair, 31, is charged with one count each of negligent arson and criminal damage to property over $1,000, fourth-degree felonies in the Cotton 1 Fire.
The Desert Willow Complex Fire, made up of the Cotton 1 and Cotton 2 fires, sparked on opposite sides of the Rio Grande on Saturday and Sunday.
The Valencia County Sheriff’s Office said LaHair turned himself in to Los Lunas police on Wednesday and was booked into the Valencia County Detention Center.
LaHair’s family declined to comment Wednesday.
Lt. Joseph Rowland, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, did not specify the evidence against LaHair.
“Investigators conducted interviews, analyzed surveillance footage, and completed on-site field evaluations to determine the origin and cause of both fires,” he said in a news release Wednesday evening. “Based on gathered evidence, investigators identified (LaHair) as a suspect.”
An arrest warrant was issued for LaHair on Wednesday.
In all, the blaze destroyed 10 homes and left four more with “minor to major” damage along Las Rosas Road, which butts up against the west side of the Rio Grande, south of the Main Street bridge. The fires also burned over 260 acres and led to evacuations for 1,300 people over two days.
At least 12 firefighters were assessed for heat and smoke injuries, with at least two being hospitalized in Albuquerque.
