Fire

LAFD Rescues Hiker On Trail Near Rim Road

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Los Alamos Firefighters rescue a man Friday on a trail near Rim Road. LAFD explained that the man was running on the trail and aggravated an old knee injury. He called for help and LAFD hiked in and carried him out on a stokes basket without incident. Photo by Andy Phelps

Scene from local firefighters rescuing a man Friday on a trail near Rim Road who was running and aggravated an old knee injury. Photo by Andy Phelps

Scene from local firefighters rescuing a man Friday on a trail near Rim Road who was running and aggravated an old knee injury. Photo by Andy Phelps

Scene from local firefighters rescuing Read More

Hydrant Testing Throughout Los Alamos Begins Wednesday 

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Los Alamos Firefighters previously testing water pressure and flushing out sediments in local fire hydrants, which LAFD begins doing again Wednesday throughout the county. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

LAFD News:

The Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD) will be testing fire hydrants throughout Los Alamos County starting Wednesday and activity will be continuing through September. 

The purpose of hydrant testing is to ensure that they will provide an adequate water supply for fire suppression and to flush out sediments that have accumulated in the water distribution system over Read More

Deer Enjoy New Bedding Thanks To Los Alamos Fire Department Wildland Management Efforts

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The ground was wet and cold after Monday’s rain and hail. These deer lost no time in taking advantage of the new bedding provided by Los Alamos Fire Department’s Wildland Management efforts to thin trees for their health and for fire danger mitigation, as explained by a friendly LAFD wildland management expert. Learn more here. Photo by Kei Davis
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LAFD Responds To Two Campfires Burning At Camp May

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LAFD News:

Los Alamos County Deputy Chief Steve Dawald told the Los Alamos Daily Post that LAFD responded to two fire calls Saturday at Camp May.

The first call pertained to campfire left burning unattended.

The second call involved a campfire burning with day campers around it.

Dawald said that both fires were extinguished and the day campers at the second fire were notified that fires are not allowed at this time.

Fire danger is very high and Baseline Fire Restrictions went into effect May 8.

The following are NOT ALLOWED:

  • Outdoor smoking in except designated areas.
  • Use of fireworks is prohibited
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BLM Enacts Fire Restrictions In NM Effective Wednesday

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BLM News:
SANTA FE – Due to increasing fire danger and to prevent human-caused ignitions, the Bureau of Land Management will implement fire restrictions on BLM-managed lands in New Mexico beginning 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. May 20.
Prohibitions include:
  • Use of campfires or charcoal;
  • Smoking outside of a vehicle, enclosed building, or areas free of flammable materials;
  • Fireworks and pyrotechnic devices;
  • Any type of aerial luminary; and
  • Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use except in designated OHV areas.
In addition, the following activities require individuals to have a fire extinguisher or 5 gallons
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Northern New Mexico National Forests To Implement Stage 2 Fire Restrictions Effective 8 A.M. Wednesday, May 20

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SFNF News:

SANTA FE – The Carson, Cibola and Santa Fe National Forests will implement Stage 2 fire restrictions at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 20, to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfire based on current and forecasted conditions, including very low fuel moisture levels and severe fire weather conditions.

The restrictions also will help protect the health and safety of firefighters and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The restrictions will be implemented forest-wide on the Carson and Santa Fe National Forests and on the Mount Taylor, Magdalena, Mountainair and Sandia Ranger Districts Read More

An Open Book: COVID And Cerro Grande

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By DAVID IZRAELEVITZ
Los Alamos

How is one to honor an event that marked one generation in the midst of another that will equally be sealed in the memory of the next? Maybe it is to remember that while time does not heal all wounds, but that painful memories gain, in time, the blessing of distance and perspective. As the Cerro Grande Fire was a defining moment in my life in Los Alamos, and now, twenty years later, we look back and remember and learn, so let us hope that the same will be for our children who see, in these times, their own defining crisis.

Unlike many friends, our loss in the fire was trivial; Read More

New Mexico Counties Awards $236K In Wildfire Grant Funds

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NMC News:

SANTA FE — New Mexico Counties has awarded more than $236,000 to 12 grant recipients for community wildfire protection plan updates, fuel reduction treatments, and education efforts through the 2020-2021 Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program.

Grant recipients include Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District, Curry County, Grant County, San Cristobal Neighborhood Association, San Juan County, Socorro County, South Central Mountain RC&D Council, Taos County and Wildfire Network.

New Mexico Counties Executive Director Steve Kopelman stated that “wildfire awareness Read More

Quemazon Nature Trail 20 Years After Cerro Grande Fire

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Fallen Trees on Quemazon Nature Trail. Photo by Nina Thayer

By NINA THAYER
Pajarito Rambler

This old rambler hiked up the Quemazon Nature Trail last week and decided to come out of retirement to tell its story 20 years after the Cerro Grande wildfire. Many of us remember the day 20 years ago when the sky turned black with a sickening red-orange glow and we packed children and pets and fled our homes on the hill.

When we returned, we were confronted with burned homes, charred forests and an unnerving sense of insecurity. My first ramble through the Quemazon Trail area one year later was heart rending, Read More

On The Cerro Grande Fire 20 Years Later: A Reflection

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Vanessa and her grandfather Pascual Chavez of Los Alamos during the Cerro Grande Fire evacuation in 2000 at Cities of Gold Casino. Courtesy photo 

By VANESSA (CHAVEZ) FEAGIN
Los Alamos

In 2001, when I was a sixth grader at Mountain Elementary, my classmates and I spent a semester hiking our way up the Quemazon Trail to plant Ponderosa Pines or do trail maintenance.

We were doing this to try and help rebuild the forest that had been burned by the Cerro Grande Fire the year before. At the time, I didn’t understand what a large impact those trips would have on me personally or for the community in which I Read More