Raindrops in New Mexico: Less burning, new hazard

 

The real holiday fireworks display tonight is taking place in the Valles Caldera, near Los Alamos. As of 5 pm MDT on Monday, July 4, the largest fire in New Mexico history had covered 123,563 acres.

 

The fire is only 19 percent contained. It has burned miles of mountain forests and 100 structures. Many were historic homes and cabins in Cochiti Canyon. The fire threatened 410 more buildings today. Its early and rapid spread since last Sunday was likely due to the combination of strong winds, high temperatures, rugged conditions, and tinder-dry combustibles. Even the green trees blazed very quickly.

 

"The gusting spring winds didn't die down as they always do," a long-time resident said. "They just kept blowing. Given the perfect dry conditions, once a fire starts, the wind makes it go faster and farther."

 

 

Firefighters focused on the western perimeter of the wildfire, in the Valles Caldera area and southwest between Peralta Ridge and Bearhead Peak. Yesterday's burnout operation along the northwest edge of the fire was very successful. 

 

The fighters will now try to secure the new fire edge from the north boundary of the Valles Caldera down to the southern boundary. The southwestern part of the Valle Grande and the preserve headquarters at the Baca Ranch remain fire-free.

 

Another hot spot is to the north, on Santa Clara pueblo lands. Smaller but still dangerous blazes still burn along the populated eastern edge of the mountains near Los Alamos.

 

 

"This is the closest I've ever been to a wildfire. It's very unsettling," said a well-known sculptor who lives in Tesuque. "The smoke came over here. It wasn't thick smoke, in fact you couldn't see see and could barely smell it, but you could feel it occasionally in the nose and throat."

 

"One of the spooky things was the orangish red cast of the reflected sunlight. When you're up on a rise and have a view in the distance, you see the haze--which looks like fog--settled in the valleys."

 

 

Yesterday an interagency investigative team (New Mexico State Forestry, the USDA Forest Service, New Mexico State Police,  Sandoval County) determined that the Las Conchas fire began approximately 12 miles southwest of Los Alamos off NM 4 at mile marker 35. A fallen aspen tree striking nearby power lines during a period of strong winds ignited the fire.

 

When contact was made between tree and wires, the line began to arc and the tree caught fire. Heat and flame snapped the line, and the burning tree fell onto the ground and lit nearby vegetation. And from there, it spread. 

 

 

The day saw calm 8 mph winds, which were expected to shift the direction of the fire from northeast to north and west. Today's high was 92 degrees, 11 degrees over the average for the area. There was only a trace of rain in a place that has seen as much as 1.27" on July 4 since records have been kept. 

 

Heavy smoke and ash are making air quality unhealthy as far away as Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos. People with breathing conditions, seniors, and young children are cautioned to stay out of town. The smoke tends to lift in the late afternoon, but it always returns during the night and does not clear again until mid-morning at the earliest. 

 

It's clear tonight, and 81 degrees. The forecast for Los Alamos all week is for partly cloudy with isolated showers and thunderstorms and 10-20 mph winds, mostly in the evening and at night. Daily temps will rage from the upper 70s to lower 90s.

 

Slopes and drainages where the fire left unburned biomass will be especially vulnerable. Some rain has fallen in the area since Saturday afternoon, hinting at the start of the heavy summer rain and flood (monsoon) season. However, only substantial wetting rains could reduce the threat of new or increased wildfire. 

 

Unfortunately, precipitation forecasts are notoriously iffy at this time of year. The only certainty is that if rains do come, they will arrive in the late afternoon or evening, sometimes lasting into the night. Flash floods then pose the greatest danger.

 

 

"I have spoken with people who work at the labs and they believe that the people in charge have moved heaven and earth to keep the fire out of Los Alamos and away from the contamination," the Tesuque resident observed.

 

A few people have been injured so far, but no deaths have been reported. Firefighters are allowed to work for 15 1/2 hours straight; then they are required to take a break. There are 2,164 people, including 56 crews, working to block and suppress the flames. 

 

Crews in and around Los Alamos have been working with bulldozers to set up a second containment line around the city. This should ensure that if the winds do change, the fire will be unable to reach the town. Archeologists are working alongside the fire crews. Back burns are being set to protect the sacred Chicoma Mountain and Santa Clara pueblo. Los Alamos National Laboratory, very closely threatened according to the local fire chief, will reopen to employees on Wednesday, July 6. 

 

 

"The Las Conchas fire is just one of dozens still burning in the United States, especially in the southwest," said Brad Pitassi, an Incident Management Team spokesman for the Southwest.  "Several of those are also in New Mexico, including the 10,000-acre Pacheco fire about 25 miles west of Los Alamos and the Donaldson fire near Hondo that has charred 96,745 acres and is [only] 50% contained."

 

One Los Alamos firefighter lives in the forest about 17 miles west of the city. His family's house was spared. All his neighbors' homes burned. 

 

"We are not out of the woods yet," said Pitassi. "This will take a long time to contain.... "We've had almost a perfect-storm scenario."