There’s still no word on whether a third Type 1 team will be brought in to fight the largest fire in state history, Governor Susana Martinez said at a 9 a.m. news conference Saturday.
The Las Conchas fire near Los Alamos is now about 113,734 acres and growing.
Martinez said it will be up to fire commanders whether an additional team will be brought in. Two hundred crews totaling 1,200 firefighters are battling the blaze that five days ago forced an evacuation of 12,000 people from Los Alamos. Martinez said $2.8 million has so far been spent on battling the fire, the No. 1 priority fire in the country.
Los Alamos County Fire Department Chief Doug Tucker said firefighters are being rotated out, and that fire department’s main focus is protecting the Los Alamos Canyon.
The fire grew significantly overnight, especially to the northwest, authorities said. It grew about 1 1/2 to 2 miles west of the Santa Clara Canyon area.
Meanwhile, the Los Alamos National Laboratory is being inspected before employees are allowed to return, director Charles McMillan said.
McMillan said it might be a few days before employees can come back, pending a thorough investigation of the lab’s functions, such as its utilities and air filters, which could be clogged by smoke.
The Las Conchas fire near Los Alamos is now about 113,734 acres and growing, according to InciWeb.
Authorities said the fire lines are still holding but are not fully contained, and there is more active fire behavior along some perimeters.
The fire has spread down some slopes and into canyons, and is about six percent contained. According to InciWeb, the fire was most recently moving south into Peralta Canyon. It’s also spread north on Mesa de la Gallina and southwest in Bland and Cochiti Canyons. Flames were more than 100 feet high on Saturday.
Los Alamos is still under evacuation.
-- Email the reporter at agalvan@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3843
