Firefighters contained an early Wednesday blaze at the long-closed country club. Investigators have not confirmed whether overnight booms were connected to the fire.

Organ Mountain News report

SANTA TERESA - A fire that heavily damaged the long-closed Santa Teresa Country Club early Wednesday morning is under investigation as authorities examine whether loud booms reported hours earlier were connected to the blaze.

Doña Ana Fire Rescue and Sunland Park Fire Department crews responded to the commercial building on Feathermoon Drive shortly before 5 a.m. Nov. 11. Firefighters found the single-story structure heavily involved in flames and brought the fire under control within 45 minutes, according to Doña Ana County officials.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Doña Ana County Fire Marshal's Office.

Loud booms reported hours before fire

The fire followed reports of loud booms heard in Santa Teresa and parts of El Paso late Tuesday night, prompting a separate law enforcement response.

Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart told KFOX that her office received calls about the booms around midnight and dispatched deputies to the golf course. Stewart said she believed the sounds were connected to the fire, although county officials have not confirmed a connection.

County spokesperson Ariana Parra told KVIA that the booms were reported around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, more than five hours before firefighters were dispatched at 4:55 a.m. Wednesday.

Parra said investigators initially found nothing when they responded to the reports.

"I can't say 100% whether there is the connection with the loud booms last night," Parra told KVIA.

She said investigators were examining both incidents and had not ruled out the possibility that they were unrelated.

KFOX interviewed Santa Teresa resident Marisela Gomez, who reported hearing two loud booms Tuesday night. Gomez said the first, around 10:50 p.m., shook objects inside her home. She reported hearing another about 17 minutes later.

Security camera footage from her property captured a bright flash around the time of the second boom, according to KFOX. The source of the flash has not been established.

Other residents interviewed by KVIA described sounds powerful enough to shake their homes and windows.

FBI assisting investigation

A bomb squad responded to the area as a precaution, according to KVIA.

Parra told the station that FBI assistance is part of the response when a bomb squad becomes involved. KFOX subsequently reported that the FBI confirmed its participation in the investigation and identified the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office as the lead agency.

Authorities have not announced what caused the reported booms or established that an explosion occurred at the country club.

Project Jupiter not involved, officials say

The incident also prompted questions about Project Jupiter, the data center development under construction in the Santa Teresa area.

Parra told KFOX that Project Jupiter was not involved in the incident.

Oracle, the company behind the development, also confirmed to KFOX that the incident did not occur on the Project Jupiter campus. Company officials said work at the site was continuing normally Wednesday.

Firefighters contain blaze within 45 minutes

According to the county's official release, firefighters began defensive suppression operations after arriving at the burning country club.

Crews contained the flames and brought the fire under control within approximately 45 minutes. Firefighters remained at the scene afterward to extinguish hot spots and monitor for possible rekindling.

KVIA reported that the country club had been permanently closed for several years. Parra told the station that nobody was inside the building when firefighters arrived.

The Fire Marshal's Office continues to investigate the cause of the fire. Authorities have not publicly established whether the overnight boom reports and the structure fire were connected.