Summit County Citizens Voice

Wildfire near Los Alamos now the largest on record in New Mexico

A June 29 NASA satellite image shows smoke from the Las Conchas Fire, which has now burned over more than 100,000 acres, making it the largest wildfire on record in New Mexico.

A July 1 map shows the northeastward spread of the Las Conchas Fire.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — After early morning infrared aerial surveys, fire officials say the six-day-old Las Conchas Fire has now burned across a footprint of more than 103,000 acres, making it the state’s largest single wildfire on record, after the 2003 Dry Lakes Fire, which burned more than 94,000 acres in the Gila National Forest.

The fire was most active on its northern flank Thursday, where it burned across about 6,000 acres of the Santa Clara Pueblo, threatening watersheds and historic cultural resources.

Visit the Santa Fe New Mexican Fire Dashboard for continually updated information including a live blog. Streaming information is also available via this Las Conchas Fire Twitter hashtag.

Thursday’s light rain moistened some of the fuels in the vicinity of the fire, but forecast winds and low humidity will once again dry those fuels to previous levels by Friday afternoon.

The fire has burned large swaths of terrain within Bandolier National Monument’s historic cave dwellings and came close to the historic structures at the visitor center.

According to the latest Inciweb update, firefighters will work on completing a fire line around Los Alamos and conduct further burnout operations around Pajarito Ski Area to minimize the chance of spot fires. More than 1,200 firefighters are now working on the Las Conchas Fire, which is still only reported as 3 percent contained.

On the east side, the fire may run into the burn scars from the infamous Cerro Grande Fire, a controlled burn that escaped and destroyed more than 400 Los Alamos homes and some structures at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The lighter fuel loads in the Cerro Grande area may help firefighters establish some control over the Las Conchas fire in that area.

Follow @bberwyn

Air Quality Alert Due to Wildfire Smoke – 7/1 – 9 (Las Conchas Wildfire) http://dlvr.it/Yb8JP #NMFire #LasConchas—
T1 SW IMT (Rienarz) (@T1SWIMT) July 01, 2011

#NMfire: Just posted–map showing progression and status of burn as of this morning — flickr.com/photos/losalam…—
LosAlamosNationalLab (@LosAlamosNatLab) July 01, 2011

#NMFire Air Quality Alert Due to Wildfire Smoke – 7/1 – 9 (Las Conchas Wildfire) http://dlvr.it/Yb00r—
Santa Fe NF (@SantafeNF) July 01, 2011

Apparently about 48 miles of Bandelier 70+ miles of trails are in the footprint of the Las Conchas Fire. So far the Main Loop Trail isn't!—
Bandelier Natl. Mon. (@BandelierNPS) July 01, 2011

#NMfire: Just up–pic of last evening's sunset over the Jemez, behind Pajarito Plateau, upon which LANL, community sit: flickr.com/photos/losalam…—
LosAlamosNationalLab (@LosAlamosNatLab) July 01, 2011

Filed under: Environment, forest fires, Forest health, forests, Summit County news, US Forest Service, wildfires Tagged: | Cerro Grande Fire, Inciweb, Las Conchas fire becomes largest ever in New Mexico, Las Conchas Fire July 1, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos New Mexico, Los Alamos wildfire, New Mexico, New Mexico wildfires, Summit County News, Wildfires