N.M. Forest Fire Blackens 11,000 Acres

A fierce, four-day fire in the Santa Fe National Forest whipped by unpredictable winds had blackened more than 11,000 acres Sunday as it crept toward a nuclear weapons laboratory.

“The state’s ready to go up in flames,” said Gov. Gary Johnson, who took a helicopter tour of the area Sunday. “This is the driest it’s ever been.”

No injuries were reported. Sixteen backpackers who were in the area had all been accounted for Saturday afternoon, hours after park managers closed the monument.

About 800 firefighters were battling the blaze, which began Thursday. The fire had reached about 3,000 acres of the 32,000-acre Bandelier National Monument, 40 miles northwest of Santa Fe. Only 10% of the fire was contained, and it was spreading to the north, south and west.

Steep hills and canyons, combined with winds of up to 30 mph, were making it difficult for firefighters to walk in the area, and for air tankers and helicopters to spread fire retardant and water.

“The fire is skipping down canyons; the smoke is all over the place,” park ranger Kristi Drexler said. “It’s totally unpredictable.”

Smoke could be seen for miles in every direction, and the Fire Department and Red Cross were operating shelters for people who were having trouble breathing.

Experts say bone-dry conditions have fueled the blaze.

The fire was burning about six miles from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the nation’s only operating nuclear weapons laboratory. The first atomic bomb was created at the lab.

Emergency crews removed explosives from one of the lab buildings in the path of the fire. Explosives in a second building are stored in fireproof bunkers surrounded by earthen berms and are not believed to be at risk, lab officials said.

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Trace amounts of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen used to increase the power of nuclear weapons, are housed in a third, fireproof building. The radioactivity was not great enough to pose a health hazard if it escaped, lab spokesman John Gustafson said.

Two people were arrested Saturday on suspicion of setting the blaze with sparks from an abandoned campfire built in a restricted area of the forest. The suspects, who were not identified, are scheduled to be arraigned today.

The Bandelier National Monument is known for its Indian cliff dwellings, remnants of communities where ancient tribes lived. The dwellings house artifacts and ruins.

Several artifacts, including the Stone Lions Shrine, an ancient circle of stones still used for Cochiti tribal ceremonies, are in the path of the fire. Many artifacts in the park could probably withstand a fire because they are unexcavated. The danger would be if earth was moved around above them in attempts to put out the fire, ranger Chris Judson said.

The fire is the worst in the area since the 1977 La Mesa fire, which burned 15,000 acres and caused $13 million in damage.