Firefighters with the Artesia Fire Department and Atoka, Riverside, Sun Country and Cottonwood Volunteer Fire Departments combined efforts Saturday afternoon to extinguish what began as a grass fire and ended with damage to trucking and roadwork equipment, and a residential fence on South 13th Street. The grass fire made its way into a yard at Alliance Trucking, 2507 S. 13th St., where it damaged tractor trailers and miscellaneous equipment, as well as equipment at the Eddy County Road Warehouse. AFD Fire Marshal Brenden Harvey reports residents along Painted Pony Lane and Thoroughbred Road were safely evacuated with the assistance of the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office and Artesia Police Department. Harvey says the fire was stopped before it could damage the actual structures of those homes, and residents were allowed to return. A vinyl fence west of the homes sustained damage. Fire crews were on scene approximately four hours containing and fully extinguishing the fire amidst hot weather and gusty winds.
