Las Conchas Fire Update - July 1, 2011 9:00 AM
Incident: Las Conchas Wildfire
Released: 7/1/2011
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2011 9:00 a.m.
Los Conchas Fire Update
South Zone
Las Conchas Fire Update
South Zone
Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team
Incident Commander: Dugger Hughes
South Zone Fire Information: 505-404-5455
(Daily from 7:30a.m. to 10:00 p.m.)
Email: lcsouthfireinfo@gmail.com
Website Info: www.inciweb.org/incident/2385/
Fire Facts:
Date Started: 06/26/2011
Number of Personnel: 469 personnel including
Location: Approximately 12 miles S/W of Los Alamos
off NM 4 at mile marker 35
2 hotshot crews, 12 hand crews
Cause: Unknown - under investigation
Equipment: 15 Engines, 3 Water Tenders, 2 Dozers
Size: 92,971
Aircraft: 1 Helicopter, additional on order
Percent Contained: 3%
Injuries to Date: None
Community Meetings Today
Two community meetings are scheduled for this evening to inform citizens of the current status of firefighting activities. One meeting will be held at the Madonna Hall in Jemez Springs at 6:00pm. The second meeting will be held at the Hahn Center in Cochiti Pueblo, also at 6:00pm. Local residents are welcome to attend either meeting to receive updated information and have their questions answered.
General Information/Announcements:
Moderate fire activity continues within the south zone. The fire is active along an approximately 8 mile long front on the southwest side of the fire where the fire continues to push back against the prevailing south-west winds. Fire activity can increase at any time due to weather or fire related changes in wind direction.
Closures/Advisories:
Santa Fe National Forest has closures in effect as of 8:00am today. A toll-free line has been established at
877-971-3173 where a recorded message will contain updates on road closures within the forest.
The following road closures have been established:
- The intersection of SH 4 and FR 10 near Vallecitos de los Indios.
- SH 290, north of the Ponderosa sub-division.
- FR 268, north of Cochiti Lake.
The US Army Corps of Engineers facilities at Cochiti Lake are closed. This closure will be re-evaluated July 5th.
Today's Planned Activities:
Late yesterday afternoon a new fire started in the Bear Springs Canyon area. This was probably the result of a dry lightening strike. Air resources were quickly dispatched to this area and Santa Fe Forest crews, assisted by our ground crews, responded to the location and extinguished the fire.
Direct hand line continues to be reinforced to contain the fire on the west side. The line is presently holding near the communities of Vallecitos de los Indios and Sierra Los Pinos and fire advancement has checked in this area. Crews are also working to protect a critical communications tower nearby.
On the south side of the fire, crews are working in Bland and Cochiti canyons. The fire in Bland Canyon is advancing toward an old burn area and it is anticipated that the fire will hault once it reaches this area due to lack of fuel.
Crews continue to scout existing roads and trails to define future indirect line. Additional firefighting resources continue to arrive and are being placed to work.
All firefighting crews receive a daily briefing from an archeologist in relation to the sensitive historical and cultural sites within the south region. Crews are instructed on how to identify and avoid sensitive areas. Six archeologists have been assigned to work with dozer and hand crews to help ensure that no sensitive areas are damaged.
A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment team leader has arrived and is starting to develop a plan for post fire rehabilitation. BAER teams typically review post-fire conditions and recommend and implement treatments to begin to restore watersheds where possible. These efforts are intended to speed up nature's natural recovery processes to stabilize soils before rains arrive with the summer monsoon. With the rainy season upon us, they will assess what measures can be put into place to help mitigate possible erosion issues in the region due to the coming rains. This will be an ongoing effort.
Sandoval County Fire Department continues to assess damage caused by the fire. They have been assessing fire damage to structures in Cochiti and Bland Canyons. It is anticipated that notifications will made to area residents shortly. Our crews are working to make roads safely passable. Every effort is being made to facilitate the escort of residents back into this area as soon as possible. For concerns related to structures within the burned area, property owners are directed to call the county office at 505-867-0245 or contact David Bervin via email at dbervin@sandovalcountynm.gov .
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