Members of the Hobbs Fire Department saved a dog from a burning home Wednesday.
An electrical fire around 2 p.m. in the 1800 block of East Kansas Street charred a large portion beneath a home and sent a Dachshund to the veterinarian.
A neighbor was checking on her horses in a barn near the burning house when she saw the smoke. The Hobbs Fire Department responded to the call at 2 p.m.
When the homeowner pulled into her private drive, she saw firefighters carrying her small dog out of the front door.
Firefighters gave the dog oxygen and told the owner the dog needed to be taken to the veterinarian immediately because he was in distress.
“They couldn’t find him at first. I have a dog sign on the window but he hides,” said the owner, who wished to remain anonymous.
The owner said she’s had her Dachshund, named Hans, since he was a puppy. He’ll turn 6 years old on Christmas.
“He’s a German dog so I named him a German name,” she said. “I love Dachshunds. I’ve had eight. He’s a lot of company living alone.”
The veterinarian put Hans on oxygen and kept him overnight. The homeowner said he was in stable condition but the dog had a pre-existing cough and the smoke increased his breathing issues.
When the fire started, the homeowner, a retired teacher from New Mexico Junior College, said she was at the Hobbs Public Library.
The charred home sits on a large plot of land off of the Denver City Highway with six horses living on the rural property. The area, down a private drive, is somewhat isolated and was quiet late afternoon despite a cluster of flashing lights and fire trucks.
“I love living out in the country. It’s usually very peaceful here,” the homeowner said. “I never had a fire before. It was very scary.”
Battalion Chief Chris Davis said it took the Hobbs Fire Department 45 minutes to contain the fire because it was underneath the home.
“If it was inside a bedroom or something, it would have been easier to put out,” Davis said.
Firefighters had to chop holes into the floor to get water to the active flames. They also chopped a hole in the back wall where flames were burning. They removed a washer and dryer from the residence.
The homeowner said she thought a faulty combination of electrical wiring between the air conditioner and furnace was what caused the fire.
By 4 p.m. the homeowner sat in a lawn chair outside her house watching firefighters clean up. Waiting to find out what of her property was lost to the flames she said, “I hope it didn’t get my computer.”