‘It’s a tragedy:’ Family loses home, business and dog in fire
By Faith Egbuonu
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ESTANCIA, New Mexico (KOAT) — On Saturday, April 18, 2026, a fire erupted at a commercial structure in Estancia, New Mexico. According to the City of Moriarty Fire Department, multiple agencies assisted the Estancia Fire Department per request to get the fire under control. According to officials, there were no reported injuries or deaths. However, the Montoya family told KOAT they lost their joint home-business and dog to the fire.
“What happened here is a tragedy. There aren’t enough words to describe everything that was lost because it wasn’t just the business. It’s not just things—it’s memories, it’s livelihood, it’s stability,” Augustine Montoya told KOAT.
“One of the biggest things for me as the son, as the grandson, for two people who have been here with me through my whole life, is making sure that I’m at least somewhat consistent and stable for them through this really hard time,” Montoya (Augustine) said.
Emilia Montoya told KOAT she was at work when she received the tragic call from her brother who was inside but managed to escape with his wife. Additionally, Montoya stated this is the second home they’ve lost to a fire since 2010. They’ve owned the joint home-business since 2015, however, they’ve been in business for 40 years.
“My mother was in Albuquerque. This is her main office (business). When I got the call, I gave her a call. We have family that lives over here in the corner. So, when they saw the smoke, nobody knew if we were here or not. So, people were looking for us because they were concerned that we were in there. We lost—his dog was in there,” Montoya (Emilia) said.
As of Monday, April 20, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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