Fire

Firing Operations Underway On Commissary Fire

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SFNF News:
 
Fire managers on the lightning-caused Commissary Fire on the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District are taking advantage of favorable conditions over the next few days to continue to manage the fire for resource objectives.
Crews are conducting firing operations with hand ignitions on approximately 100 acres to solidify the western boundary of the 3,600-acre planned area. This tactic allows fire managers to determine how and where the fire moves across the landscape. 
Ventilation conditions are good, sending smoke higher into the atmosphere and
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EMNRD: Pecos Wildfire Update

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EMNRD News:
 
Incident Name and Update: Commissary Fire Update
Start Date & Time: June 5, 2015, reported Saturday, June 6, 2015
 
Start Location: Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest (Approximately 13 miles east of Pecos and 2 miles south of Barillas Peak)

Size: Approximately 170 acres

Cause: Lightning
Vegetation: Ponderosa pine, aspen, mixed conifer, grass and brush      
Growth Potential: Low
 
Percent Contained: 0
 
Personnel Assigned: 
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Los Alamos Police Negotiation Team Talks Man Out Of Barricaded Apartment On Canyon Road

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Los Alamos Police Cmdr. Oliver Morris, left, speaks with bomb technician Sgt. Chris Ross after the negotiation team talks a distraught man out of his apartment where he had barricaded himself late this afternoon at Caballo Peak Apartments. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Los Alamos Police Officers wrap things up after a distraught man is talked out of his apartment and transported to LAMC. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Los Alamos Deputy Police Chief Jason Wardlow Herrera, left, with officers leaving the scene late this afternoon at Caballo Peak Apartments. Photo by Carol Read More

Forest Service Continues To Fight Commissary Fire

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USFS News:

The Commissary Fire on the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District continues to burn naturally.

Fire managers are monitoring and managing the fire as a tool to meet multiple resource objectives. The fire grew slowly overnight; the area received .22 of an inch of rain and is now approximately 170 acres. 

As Fire Managers continue to wait for conditions to align, area preparations continue. Five Type 1 Hotshot Crews have arrived. Crews will concentrate on building and strengthening the planned area boundary along Forest Road 83.

Several specialized pieces of equipment also have been Read More

Firefighting Humanoid Robot Blasts Flames

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Robot suppressing a wood crib fire in a testing laboratory. Courtesy photo

Robot reaching for a fire hose nozzle in a testing laboratory. Courtesy photo

HSNW News:

In fall 2014 in Mobile Bay, Ala., Virginia Tech engineering students made history during a five-minute demo that placed an adult-sized humanoid robot with a hose in front of a live fire aboard a U.S. Navy ship.

The robot located the fire and sprayed water from the hose. Water blasted the flames.

The demo, four years in the making, is part of a new effort by the U.S. Navy to better assist sailors in fighting fires, controlling Read More

Drier Weather May Increase Commissary Fire Activity

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SFNF News:

The Commissary Fire on the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District continues to burn naturally. Fire managers are monitoring and managing the fire as a tool to meet multiple resource objectives. 

The fire is now approximately 160 acres. 

Fire crews observed a much more active day Monday with burning close to the ground in the fallen needles and underbrush along the west side. Fire growth was short-lived due to higher humidity and increased cloud cover.

The fire has reached the drainage bottoms on both the east and west flanks. Fuel conditions in the drainage bottoms are much wetter Read More

Nearly $1.3 Million In Wildfire Prevention Funds OK’d For Valles Caldera And Santa Clara Pueblo

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U.S. SENATE News:

  • Funding from new program to help treat vulnerable forests, build resilience to prevent damage from future fires

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich welcomed news Friday that Valles Caldera National Preserve and Santa Clara Pueblo will receive funding under a new national program aimed at restoring the health and fire resilience of iconic landscapes.

Valles Caldera will receive $883,000 to improve the resilience of ecosystems to wildfires and other natural disturbances to better sustain healthy forests and watersheds for future generations. Read More

LANL Partners With American Red Cross On Smoke Alarm Installations

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Debbi Wersonick, center, of LANL’s Community Programs Office speaks Friday with Clare Ryan of the American Red Cross and Dan Shields of Los Alamos’ Weapons Physics Group, a volunteer installer. Courtesy/LANL
 
LANL News:
 
Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Vecinos Volunteer Match program partnered with the American Red Cross to install smoke alarms in residences Friday.
 
Nearly a dozen Lab employees installed more than 30 smoke alarms in Tsikamu Park, a 55-and-over residential community that recently witnessed a fire that resulted in injuries
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Police Officer And Residents Honored For Bravery

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Los Alamos resident Olivero Acosta is honored for his bravery in helping police save a man from a burning home in May on Cheyenne Court. Council Chair Kristin Henderson, Police Chief Dino Sgambellone and Fire Chief Troy Hughes present the award during this evening’s County Council meeting underway in Council Chambers. Screen Shot/LADP

 Kevin Albright is honored for his bravery in helping police to rescue a man from a burning home. Shot/LADP

Fire Chief Troy Hughes presents a medal to local resident Kevin Albright for his bravery. Hughes also presented a medal to resident Olivero Read More

Update On West Fire In Jemez Ranger District

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SFNF News:

The lightning-caused West Fire approximately 2.5 miles northwest of Jemez Springs was reported by the Cerro Pelado Fire Lookout Saturday and has grown to approximately 2 acres. 

The West Fire is a slow-moving ground fire burning through ponderosa pine and pine litter. Smoke may be visible from US Route 550 and the communities of Jemez Springs and Gilman. Depending on weather and other conditions, fire managers are considering managing the fire for resource benefit.  

Structures Threatened:  None

Start Date:  Saturday, June 6, reported at approximately Read More