AG’s Office to help fire victims
Las Vegas, N.M., branch to focus on consumer-related issues, serve as advocates
Survivors of the largest wildfire in New Mexico history will have a helping hand close to home as they navigate recovery efforts and potentially come into contact with unscrupulous characters along the way.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez opened a satellite office Thursday in Las Vegas, N.M., that will be staffed twice a week with a consumer protection advocate who will focus primarily on consumer-related issues arising from recovery from the Hermits Peak/ Calf Canyon Fire.
“I think our presence here as a resource and as an advocate for citizens in this time is just going to be really important to make sure that folks are not taken advantage of because the last thing we want in the moment of tragedy in the wake of this devastating fire is to have that tragedy compounded by people who are not acting ethically,” Torrez said in an interview.
“They need to know that there’s someone there that is on their side and willing to be an advocate for them,” he said.
The branch office will be at the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, 1800 New Mexico Ave. It will be staffed from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fourth Judicial District Attorney Thomas Clayton is making the space available free of charge.
Clayton, who joined Torrez in the interview, called the fire “devastating” and said it had a “tremendous impact” on Northern New Mexico residents.
“We appreciate that the federal government has taken responsibility for it, but [the next step] is making good on the promise that people will be made whole, and we just want to ensure the integrity of the process,” he said.
Clayton said he also appreciated Torrez’s commitment to making sure wildfire survivors won’t be revictimized.
“When he reached out to my office, I was more than willing to jump on board and provide them space,” he said.
Torrez said area residents affected by the wildfire can schedule an appointment or meet with the consumer protection advocate on a walk-in basis. To schedule an appointment, call the
New Mexico Department of Justice’s fire recovery hotline, 505-570-5247.
“What our advocates do primarily is answer questions because there’s a lot of uncertainty in this space,” he said. “But they will also take formal complaints.”
Torrez said his office has received complaints from people who signed contracts with lawyers for representation and then ran into problems trying to get out of the deals.
“They’ve had concerns about lack of disclosure and things of that nature, so we thought it was necessary to have somebody available and on hand for that purpose,” he said.
Torrez added, “FEMA has started to pick up the pace of some of those requests for compensation. We’re concerned about contractors and others who may come to the community trying to do business and taking advantage of folks.”