Flames and smoke could be seen spewing from an empty warehouse on Sunday. The damage was so severe, investigators could not determine a cause, other than it was started by transients. Firefighters say as the weather gets colder, these fires happen more often.
"Instead of going to one of these Rescue Missions or Salvation Army, they go into these vacant buildings to stay warm or for cooking," says Lt. Mario Hernandez with the El Paso Fire Department.
And when fires like these erupt, lives are put in danger.
"These buildings are so old, the fires get so out of control, they place the life of the firefighters in danger and the people inside," Hernandez says.
It also takes a lot of money and important resources to put them out.
"It costs a lot of money not only in damage, but also the equipment that firefighters use, and we can't always respond to other emergencies, " Lt. Hernandez tells us.
That is why he says it is important that the owners of vacant buildings, properly secure them by boarding up the entrances and using a lock and key to secure them.
And if you live nearby and spot homeless people burning items inside a building, you are asked to call 911, so firefighters can put a stop to these fires before they get out of control.
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