Oct. 26--EL PASO -- A wind-whipped fire destroyed an abandoned Central El Paso warehouse, knocked out power to dozens of nearby homes and produced large dark plumes of smoke seen from much of the city on Sunday.

Just before 1:30 p.m. about 40 firefighters were called to the blaze at a former animal feed mill near the corner of Luna and Rosa streets.

It took firefighters about 30 minutes to control the blaze that left the brick building without a roof and one of its walls. The fire caused about $150,000 damage.

Fire Department spokesman Lt. Mario Hernandez said investigators are trying to figure out how the blaze started.

During the fire, several residents of the neighborhood feared it might spread to their homes.

Oscar Armenta said he stood on the porch of his house and watched as flames flickered into the air about 40 yards away.

"You could hear the power system exploding," he said, leaning on the fence of his front yard. "But (the firefighters) are pros. They got here real quick and put it out."

Several owners of businesses located near the abandoned warehouse drove into the cramped neighborhood to check on their property. Area residents milled around to watch the smoke rise.

A utility pole behind the abandoned warehouse was left charred.

Battalion Chief Ramon Valencia said the pole caught fire and some power lines fell as firefighters took on the blaze.

Crews from the utility shut off electricity as a precaution.

Nobody was hurt by the blaze, but Hernandez

said three firefighters were stung by bees from a hive at or near the warehouse.

Utility crews Sunday afternoon worked to restore power to many of the homes affected by the outage.

Armenta, who has lived in the neighborhood for several decades, said the abandoned warehouse was a longtime eyesore.

He said that members of street gangs and homeless people were known to trespass onto the property, which lies along a railroad line.

Michael D. Hernandez may be reached at mhernandez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6151.

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