The Fire at Anton's Marine

In the afternoon of Friday, June 30, 2023, longtime TCCT members and sponsors, Jim and Carol Anton returned to their home and workplace, Anton's Marine, to find their shop and office area engulfed in flames. Anton's Marine, a well-known establishment of the city of Elephant Butte, offers storage, including that of boats and jet skis, as the name implies, as well as storage units. Their shop, part of the building that burned, sold items like boating and fishing supplies, as well as new locks and towing equipment.

As Carol and Jim watched the firefighters battle the blaze, the fire re-lit itself several times. Despite the efforts of those fighting to control the flames, the shop was a complete lose, burning to the ground.

Fortunately, Carol and Jim, as well as their cat, were spared. The cat, said Carol, was "too lazy to go to work that morning." She "got to the door, felt how hot it was, and turned around and went right back inside." Their home, which is on the same lot, was also spared, being some 75 feet from the shop.

Sadly, much of Carol and Jim's business records and supplies were lost, as were important papers related to TCCT, since Carol serves as our Treasurer. Carol lost her quilting supplies, as well as the quilts she was working on, one, intended for charity, finished except for the binding. Jim lost his reloading supplies and some of his guns. Despite several rumors going around the towns, no customer boats, jet skis, or storage units were burned.

The source of the fire was faulty wiring, perhaps due to the building's age. Even the Antons weren't sure exactly how old the building was, but it had been around for a number of years before being toted onto the site of Anton's Marine for use as the shop.

At this time, we're told, Carol's sister is looking into creating a GoFundMe to help the Antons through this difficult time. When we hear something, we'll share it on the website, our Facebook, and through our email list.