Fire destroys home on Clifton’s Shannon Hill

Contributed Photo/Courtesy Susan Breen: A fire destroyed a home on Shannon Hill in Clifton on Saturday.

Blaze kept from spreading to other structures

By Walt Mares

CLIFTON – A home and a shed were destroyed by fire on Clifton’s Shannon Hill on Saturday morning, Aug. 8. The fire, which threatened nearby homes, was rapidly brought under control and extinguished by the Clifton Volunteer Fire Department. No injuries were reported to either the occupants of the home or those who battled the fire. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Clifton Fire Chief Peter Ortega said the fire was called in at 9:04 a.m. It occurred near Valley View and Riverside roads. It started in a shed and spread quickly to the home adjacent to the shed. The fire from the shed spread quickly to the roof of the house, which was completely destroyed.  Ortega said the house was a “total loss.” 

 Five homes close by are saved

Along with damage from the fire “there were four to five inches of water” from fire hoses that sprayed water into the house to extinguish the fire.

The fire chief commended firefighters saying, “We knocked it down quick before it could spread to another five houses built in close next to each other.” Many of the homes on Shannon Hill are built close to each other and have small yards. There have been housing on Shannon for more than a century and many are made of wood.

Walt Mares File Photo/Gila Herald: This file photo shows members of the Clifton Volunteer Fire Dept. during an August 2019 ceremony at Veterans Park in Clifton.

Ortega said 14 Clifton firefighters responded to the call. An observer remarked, “That’s pretty darn good especially for a Saturday morning. A lot of times some people are out of town or already working.” 

The chief lauded two newcomers to the ranks. It was the first house fire to which novices Omar Ortega and Stevie Ray Chavarria responded. Ortega said both performed “very well.”