EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A neighbor and businesswoman is calling on the City of El Paso to demolish a building that caught fire for a second time this year.
Griselda Alfaro spoke to KTSM 9 News crews after El Paso Fire crews extinguished a large structure fire Monday evening, June 29, at the intersection of Yandell and Octavia.
Central El Paso structure fire investigation ongoing
“It really worries me because I have my business here [Esmeralda Grocery], and this house has burned down several times already,” Alfaro said. Alfaro has owned the grocery store across the street for 10 years.
Central El Paso resident and business owner Griselda Alfaro, outside the scene of a structure fire. Photo taken by Aaron Montes/KTSM.
She says that people go to the abandoned home and start fires there. Alfaro is also calling on the City to step in and take action.
“I’m calling on the City to demolish this house because it’s happened several times already,” Alfaro said.
As KTSM previously reported, on April 20, the same building caught on fire, where EPFD units were dispatched to extinguish the blaze.
El Paso Fire Department investigates Yandell fire as arson
No injuries were reported; however, fire officials say the incident was being investigated as arson. As of Tuesday, June 30, the findings of that investigation have not been released.
Alfaro raised concerns due to the recurring fires that have happened so far this year because her neighborhood is home to “elderly residents.”
“It’s (the building) burned down three or four times already, but this time the fire was much stronger, and we’re worried, especially about the neighbor next door who has her restaurant. We’re worried our restaurant might burn down too, just like the house next door burned down,” she said.
Alfaro says that despite attempts to intervene, she has not seen the fires stop.
“We need to call on all the neighbors to unite because it’s worrying that the police have already come and removed them several times; they’ve posted notices and it’s still the same. Are we going to wait until one day several houses burn down completely? Only when something big happens, or when people get burned, is that when the City will act,” she said.
In a span of two months, KTSM has reported on fires in the area that have raised concerns from residents.
South-Central El Paso blaze aftermath, investigation continues
EPFD crews extinguish South-Central El Paso house fire
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