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Albuquerque Fire Department Lt. Joe Luna looks over a boulder Monday, March 25, 2013, as he and his crew search for hot spots in the Sandia foothills after an overnight brush fire. The fire burned through scrub brush in the city’s open space above Camino de la Sierra, north of Candelaria. (Roberto E. Rosales /Journal)
Ongoing drought means a high risk of fire this year, according to the Southwest Coordinating Center. Buildup of fine fuels – the leaves, needles and grasses that can carry a fast-moving fire – is a special concern in the mountainous country on the Arizona-New Mexico border, according to the SWCC. Low snowpack also is a problem, in part because there has not been enough snow to pack down the fine fuels, according to forecasters.
For more about this year’s fire season, visit our Fire season 2013 page.
