State of Emergency Declared as Los Alamos Fire Rages

A fire near the Los Alamos National Laboratory continued to rage out of control Tuesday as nearly 1,000 firefighters from around the West converged on the Santa Fe National Forest in northern New Mexico. Gov. Gary Johnson surveyed the wind-driven fires from a helicopter and declared a state of emergency, calling the heavily forested area a “tinder box.”

Winds subsided somewhat and allowed fire crews to begin setting backfires on the northern flank of the Cerro Grande blaze.

“We’ve got a little bit of a break today. The wind is down so we can use today wisely by getting the burnout down,” said Dolores Maese, a spokeswoman for the Santa Fe National Forest. “The wind is in our favor. We want to keep it out of Los Alamos Canyon. It’ll just rip if it gets in there--the steep canyon walls allow the fire to move quickly.”

By burning trees and scrub behind the fire, firefighters can direct the blaze and remove fuel should the wind shift and drive the fire back toward Los Alamos, N.M.

Los Alamos’ five schools were closed, as were county offices. Smoke was heavy at times in the town, which is nestled against the Jemez Mountains.

The lab’s 10,000 workers were told to stay away, largely to decrease nonessential traffic on the roads, police said. The top-secret laboratory, which is run by the University of California, stores explosives as well as 2.7 metric tons of plutonium and plutonium waste.

The fire has burned close to the western edge of the lab, but, according to spokesman Kevin Roark, the facility’s explosives are stored in fire-safe structures and are designed to burn, not explode, when exposed to fire.

Firefighters, including several Native American crews from Arizona and New Mexico, set up fire lines on the rugged terrain, digging firebreaks by hand. Helicopters dropped water and fire retardants. Some crews were called in from another major fire burning in Arizona.

“We’ve got them from all over,” Maese said of the crews, which were working 12-hour shifts.

The Cerro Grande fire began Thursday during a prescribed burn by the National Park Service at nearby Bandelier National Monument. Winds of nearly 60 mph blew the fire back over firebreaks. By Friday, the blaze had raced out of control and moved northward toward the 1.5-million-acre Santa Fe National Forest. The forest’s vast stands of ponderosa pine were like matchsticks in the face of such a powerful, fast-moving fire.

Another fire near the town of Ruidoso was also unchecked Tuesday. Together, the fires have burned more than 8,000 acres.

The Cerro Grande fire has veered close to homes and come within one mile of the lab. It also threatens tribal land on the Santa Clara and San Ildefonso pueblos. About 500 households in Los Alamos were evacuated, according to Bernie Pleau, a spokesman for the Los Alamos Police Department.

Police swept through neighborhoods over the weekend to usher residents away from the fire’s path. Families threw photographs and mementos into cars and raced away.

Many stayed in hotels or with friends, but about 90 residents have spent the last few days at the First Baptist Church in nearby White Rock. There, the Red Cross has set up cots in Sunday school classrooms and struggled to entertain the stranded children with videos and a tiny playground.

“We’re about six miles from the fire and you can smell it,” said the Red Cross’ Fidel Naranjo, who has been assisting at the church. “Let me tell you, this church has been a real good neighbor. Everyone has opened their doors.”

Horse owners and stable operators have been taking in livestock, and other residents are caring for displaced pets.

Sally Wilkins, a volunteer at the Los Alamos County animal shelter, said volunteers are keeping the shelter open as animal control officers comb neighborhoods for pets lost in the confusion. Wilkins reported the shelter had taken in seven dogs, a cat, a rabbit and a ferret.