An apartment building was destroyed in a structure fire early Monday morning in Carlsbad. The fire took place in a building on the northeast side of the Vista Del Rio Apartment Complex, located at 1300 N. Pate St. The call for the fire came in at 5:30 a.m.
The fire was contained to the single apartment building, which consisted of eight residential units. There were no fatalities and no major injuries reported, though some residents did complain of smoke inhalation. Some nearby apartment buildings were also temporarily evacuated as a precaution.
Members of the Carlsbad Fire Department were assisted on the scene by local volunteer agencies from La Huerta, Otis, Happy Valley, Queen and Joel. The Carlsbad Police Department assisted with controlling the scene. The Eddy County Office of Emergency Management is coordinating a relief effort with the Red Cross.
The cause of fire is still unknown and the incident is still under investigation at this time.
The Carlsbad Fire Department responded to multiple other fires over the weekend, Fire Chief Rick Lopez said. He urged residents to be extremely cautious, as an ongoing drought and high winds result in an extreme fire danger.