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Thursday, April 17, 2008

Special Crews Fight Fire in Manzanos

By By Lee Ross /
Mountain View Telegraph
      The Trigo fire, which may be up to 600 acres in the western Manzano Mountains, was being attacked by six specialized fire crews air tankers and helicopters on Wednesday.
       The fire was first reported at 20 to 50 acres at about 10 a.m. Tuesday and grew to an estimated 250 to 300 acres by Wednesday morning, according to a report by Arlene Perea, public information officer for the Cibola National Forest.
       “We got a lot of good work done this morning,” Perea said.
       As of Wednesday afternoon, the head of the fire was not actively moving forward, Perea said.
       Perea noted a number of difficulties involved with fighting the fire, including dry conditions prior to the blaze, low humidity and high winds and the difficulty of the terrain.
       “With all the different challenges, they just kind of pile on each other,” she said.
       This fire happened during New Mexico’s fire season, unlike the Ojo Peak fire, which happened in the winter months of 2007. Incidentally, the edge of the Ojo Peak fire, which burned almost 7,000 acres and destroyed several homes, is just about 4 miles northwest of the Trigo Fire, Perea said.
       Because New Mexico fire crews are better staffed this time around, the Mountainair Ranger District’s calls for support have been answered, Perea said.
       “We do have a lot of resources available to us,” she said. “We’ve had, pretty much, the resources that we requested.”
       But those resources are hindered, to a large extent, by nature.
       Heavy winds grounded air support on Tuesday at about 2 p.m. and planes were not flying Wednesday afternoon, Perea said.
       Working out of the Albuquerque air tanker base, three airplanes were being used to drop fire retardant and two helicopters are being used to shuttle crews and equipment. Perea said the helicopters were also landing on property provided by locals and may eventually use the property owners’ water to fight the fire.
       Due to the rough terrain, it is also difficult to get ground crews into the area.
       “Terrain is a big factor. It’s what we refer to as `Hot Shot country,’” she said, referring to the specialized fire crews. “It’s basically Hot Shots we’ve got up on the hill.”
       Hot Shots are unique in that they undergo specialized physical training to carry heavy loads, which can be well over 45 pounds and include chain saws, handsaws, shovels and fire shelters, Perea said. The six crews fighting this fire include the Mount Taylor, Santa Fe, Silver City, Prescott, Sacramento and Lincoln National Forest’s Smokey Bear Hot Shots. There is also an inmate work camp crew out of Los Lunas fighting the blaze.
       In addition, support is coming from the New Mexico Incident Management Team, a type two incident management team, which will be on the scene starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Perea said. That will free many Manzano Ranger District employees to do their regular jobs, she said, such as enforcing fire restrictions in the forest area, which have been in effect since Monday.
       No campfires are allowed outside of grills in established camping areas or personal gas grills, Perea said. She also cautioned that people should not park their vehicles in tall grass, smoke near grass or other vegetation and be sure to extinguish all smoking materials.
       A violation of those restrictions may be the cause of the Trigo fire, which is still under investigation.
       “(The fire) is suspicious,” Perea said.
       So far, the only evacuations reported at that time were a group of turkey hunters, who were encouraged to leave the area, and the Capilla Peak fire lookout, who was told to leave her post.
       However, communities on the east side of the mountain are asked to gather a few important items, in case the fire spreads.
       “We kind of like to stress the `five P’s,’” she said. “People, pets, prescriptions, papers and photographs.”
       Perea said the wind is pushing smoke up the mountain and forcing it down the other side into Tajique, Manzano and the east side of Torreon.
       John Cordova of Torrance County Emergency Management is advising precautions for those experiencing respiratory problems in those areas as a result of the smoke. Those who are having respiratory problems or who have asthma are advised to stay with friends and family outside the affected areas and those who chose to stay in their homes should turn off air conditioners, keep windows and doors shut and may even use a wet towels under doorways as an air seal.
   

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