ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Valencia County authorities are warning residents to be on the lookout for possible arsonists who appear to be targeting haystacks. KRQE-TV reports there have been six suspicious fires in the past month, costing farmers thousands of dollars. Valencia County Fire Department Chief Steven Gonzales says arson is suspected partly because tests from residue from some of the fires came back positive for accelerants.
Firefighters are now going door-to-door warning people with haystacks to be on the lookout for suspicious activity. Most of the fires are occurring south of Los Lunas. One involved a barn stacked with 560 bales. Another involved the loss of 2,000 bales of hay.
