LAS CRUCES – Despite roughly $ 30,000 worth of damage, a nighttime fire wasn’t enough to worry Lujan’s Bakery from opening on Friday morning.
Instead, the smell of freshly baked confectionery and the hustle and bustle of the bakers at work filled the corner shop as they usually do – even when they couldn’t turn the light on.
On Thursday night a fire burned an outer wall and part of the roof of Lujan’s Bakery, a staple of Lohman Avenue since the 1950s. Las Cruces Fire Department officials estimated the fire caused approximately $ 30,000 in damage to the building.
The bakers and workers at the bakery say the fire was serious but not devastating.
It burned the corner of the building and scorched one of the bakery’s delivery trucks. There are also holes in the roof and walls that firefighters had to punch through to put out the fire. Most noticeably, the fire left the building without power, a major benefit for a company that relies on ovens, blenders, and credit card machines.
But they did it.
On Friday, many customers could be seen buying bags of baked goods and burger rolls. Staying open and getting things back to normal is critical to the company’s success, according to Alma Sanchez, the owner’s daughter and manager at Lujan’s Bakery.
Her family has been running Lujan’s Bakery since the early 1990s. Together with Leo’s Bakery, the two bread shops make up the family’s livelihood. Staying open is a must, said Sanchez.
“A day that we don’t work is like two weeks for us,” said Sanchez.
Noticing the fire, several family members and workers rushed into the building late Thursday night, Sanchez said. When the fire department put out the fire, Sanchez said, a neighbor said he saw a man loitering in the area just before the fire started.
While LCFD said the official cause of the fire is still being investigated, Sanchez and her family are concerned. The fire on Thursday was the second fire there in a week.
The first happened on Sunday when a trash can was set on fire. On Thursday, it looks like the fire started when a small couch caught fire, Sanchez said.
Whatever the cause, Sanchez said, the bakery is focused on getting things back to normal.
“Right now (the bakers) are literally working in the dark,” she said.
The next few weeks are an important time of the year for business. From Dia de los Muertos to Thanksgiving and Christmas to New Years and Epiphany, Lujan Bakery is starting its busy season.
“It just keeps going every two weeks,” said Sanchez. “It’s our busiest time.”
To keep the ovens warm and keep the till running, Sanchez said her family had rented a huge generator. It’s a temporary fix, but the family said insurance for the building should help get the repairs done soon.
“Whenever there is an obstacle, we will try to keep going,” said Sanchez.
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Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 575-541-5449 or on Twitter at @ Just516garc.
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