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Saturday, June 28, 2008

Firefighters Make Progress on Central NM Blaze


Associated Press
       TAJIQUE — Firefighters kept eyes on the sky and shoulders to the ground as they battled a blaze that has scorched 5,580 forested acres in central New Mexico.
    Cooler weather — along with light wind and high humidity — allowed crews to clear more line Saturday around the Big Spring Fire on the east side of the Manzano Mountains.
    "They're mopping up some areas and utilizing some helicopters to put out some hot spots within the interior of the fire's perimeter,'' said Denise Ottaviano, a U.S. Forest Service fire information officer.
    A cool front sagging into the eastern plains and pushing westward was causing thunderstorms to mushroom over the mountains.
    Firefighters welcomed any rain, but the thunderstorms also could generate "some higher winds and some erratic winds that can change the direction of the fire,'' Ottaviano said.
    The fire, 35 percent contained five days after it was sparked by lighting, forced the evacuation of 400 people from Tajique, the Inlow Baptist Youth Camp and nearby bedroom communities of Sherwood Forest and Forest Valley.
    Some structures burned late Wednesday in the Forest Valley area, but Cibola National Forest officials did not know how many or whether they were homes or outbuildings, Ottaviano said.
    The blaze has been burning mixed conifer and ponderosa pine trees at higher elevations down to pinon and juniper trees in the foothills.
    The fire crept to within three-quarters of a mile west of Tajique.
    "That section of the fire has been the least active, so have had that well-protected for several days now,'' Ottaviano said.
    There were 505 people assigned to the fire, along with 23 engines, at least three helicopters and four bulldozers.
    The fire is adjacent to the human-caused Trigo Fire, which charred more than 21 square miles and destroyed 59 homes. The Trigo began April 15 and was contained 26 days later.

Copyright ©2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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