Police investigate possible arson at bike shop on Cerrillos Road
Santa Fe police have launched an arson investigation after the Broken Spoke, a bicycle shop on Cerrillos Road, caught fire Friday morning.
Officers responded around 7 a.m. to help firefighters clear the area and were later called back to investigate a possible arson, Deputy Police Chief Paul Joye said.
An unoccupied storefront next to the Broken Spoke had caught fire, but firefighters were able to put out the flames quickly, Assistant Fire Chief Phil Martinez said.
The shop, which is across the street from Santa Fe Indian School, sells a variety of bikes and specializes in bicycle repair and service work. The store has been at that location since 2011.
Owner Mike Chapman said he was “devastated” when
he arrived at the property and saw what had happened.
“I got a call from ADT Security at 7 this morning saying that there was an attempted burglary,” he said. “I immediately looked at my phone and looked at the security cameras and saw smoke.”
Chapman said that when he arrived, firefighters were already there, and he helped them get into the building.
Chapman said he suspects a campfire by a dumpster next to the building had gotten out of control, but Martinez said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The fire did not spread into the store, but a significant amount of smoke and ash did, Chapman said.
The fire department told Chapman the size of the flames warranted an arson investigation.
“I think [the fire] was something that just smoldered for a long time,” Chapman said.
He added he previously had seen remnants of fires outside the building from people trying “to keep warm.”
Some of the store’s inventory was significantly damaged by smoke, but Chapman said he hopes to reopen the shop soon.
“We won’t be taking on any new service temporarily, but we intend to be back at it as quickly as we can,” he said.