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Martin McGuire, center, who lived in a recreational vehicle on West Picacho Avenue that was destroyed by fire early Thursday afternoon, talks with Las Cruces Fire Department investigators about the possible cause. No injuries were reported.

LAS CRUCES - An elderly Las Cruces man is homeless after a sudden RV fire Thursday afternoon at Rancho Vista Mobile Home Park, near the intersection of Picacho Avenue and Motel Boulevard.

Martin McGuire, 72, who owned the 36-foot 1988 Coachman, was at lunch when the fire broke out, he said.

"I saw black smoke

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in the air and I thought a plane crashed," he said.

Four engines from three stations were dispatched to the fire at about 1 p.m. and had the blaze under control within six minutes, fire Lt. Mike Martinez said.

No injuries were reported but more than a home was lost, said McGuire.

"A tabby who adopted me" and her two new kittens were feared dead, he said.

The cause remains undetermined, according to the Las Cruces Fire Department. McGuire said he suspected an electrical problem.

Alamogordo resident Heather MacKay was next door at her friend's business when she heard the sirens and found "a ton of black smoke" outside, she said.

"You could feel the heat from here ... 100 feet away," said MacKay, a radiology technician who thought she might have to call on some of her medical training if things turned sour.

McGuire, who has no insurance, said he'd owned the RV for six years and would have had it paid off in two months. Several neighbors had offered him a place to stay after the fire, he said.

"Where I live and all my possessions, it's all dressing," he said. "It's not important ... You don't need anything except for your own peace of mind. Do I feel a great loss? No."

Photographer Norm Dettlaff contributed to this report.

Ashley Meeks can be reached at (575) 541-5462