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Two Rio Rancho firefighters are recuperating Friday from minor injuries they received in fighting an early-morning blaze.
Firefighters said the blaze broke around 12 a.m. Friday at Jerry's Tires, at 22nd Street and Southern Boulevard in Rio Rancho. By the time they got there, the back portion of the building was fully engulfed in flames.
"We were able to salvage some of the office area of the building," said Jimmy DiFilippo of the Rio Rancho Fire Department.
By daylight, you can see the full extent of the damage: an estimated 10,000 square feet of the building a total loss. Across the street was a curiosity--another business that burned down a few weeks ago.
"It's just sheer coincidence. We don't want to make any assumptions; we got our investigations unit out here. They are making the best determination of the cause of this fire that they can," DiFilippo said.
Two Rio Rancho firefighters sustained injuries while fighting Thursday night's blaze. One firefighter has a broken thumb and the other received burns to his hands.
DiFilippo said several vehicles inside the building were burned, as well as some expensive tools.
So far the cause of the fire has not been determined.
A final estimate on the cost of the fire is pending from insurance adjusters.
