Fire

Firefighters Consider Using Drones to Fight Wildfires

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U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator UAV Drone. Courtesy/USAF

BLM News:

Federal wildland firefighting officials are exploring the deployment of drones to assist in surveillance and reconnaissance missions during a wildfire.

Drones sent to survey fire patterns during a wildfire could help keep firefighters out of risky situations by providing real-time information to officials on the ground. Few wildfire officials have used drones in the line of duty, and managers with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service say that while the technology has Read More

Los Alamos Police Prevail Against Firefighters in July 4th Softball Game

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LAPD softball team members. Courtesy photo

LAFD and LAPD gather for a photo. Courtesy photo

Scene from Friday’s softball game between LAPD and LAFD. Photo by Chris Clark/ladailypost.com

 

Staff Report

Members of the Los Alamos Police Department and Los Alamos Fire Department squared off Friday morning at Overlook Park for their annual Fourth of July softball game.

There was no mistaken the intent of the police officers as they hammered in run after run, amassing a final score of 40-9. They were clearly out for redemption after their defeat in the “Battle of the Badges” basketball Read More

Helicopters Pass Above Los Alamos To Fight Diego Fire

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A helicopter was spotted flying above Los Alamos several times Tuesday that was heading to drop fire retardent on the Diego Fire near Coyote. Full suppression actions will continue today with crews taking advantage of higher humidity and more favorable weather conditions. Anchor points have been established and crews and dozers will continue to build line around the fire. Personnel continue to assess structures and remove fuel where necessary. Overall, the fire should be less active than previous days, according to the state’s Incident Information System. Photo by Robert Beberniss Read More

Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard Attends Diego Fire Community Meeting

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Dist. 43 Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard speaks with constituents at Tuesday evening’s Diego Fire community meeting in Coyote. Garcia Richard explained that the fire is between Coyote and Gallina and several families have ranch land that the fire has burned through or is threatening. The fire is approximately four miles northwest of the Valles Caldera National Preserve and the fire management team is hopeful that tonight’s moisture will help get the blaze under control, Garcia Richard said. Courtesy photo

DIEGO FIRE Update:

Acres: 3,635 Start Date: First reported June 25, lightning Read More

New Mexico One of Five States Receiving $1.7 Million in FEMA Fire Preparedness Grants

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FEMA News:

Fire departments in five states, including New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas have been awarded more than $1.69 million in preparedness grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In New Mexico, the grant totals $84,093 and covers the cost of firefighting equipment and wellness and fitness equipment for the City of Alamogordo Fire Department.

A grant awarded in Arkansas totals $36,100 and pays for an air quality control device for a fire truck for the Gravel Ridge Fire Department. In Louisiana, the grants total $686,738 and Read More

Diego Fire Consumes More Than 3,400 Aces

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Smoke plume from the Diego Fire photographed from Los Alamos late Monday. Photo by Leland Lehman/ladailypost.com

DIEGO FIRE Update:

Crews worked overnight to tie in some roads on the eastern edge of the fire, creating buffer for interior pockets of fuel that could experience extreme fire behavior today.

Bulldozers are being used to create containment lines on the southern portion of the fire along Jarosa Canyon to Forest Road 93 and Guardia spring west of FR 103.

Safety is paramount on all divisions today. Crews will be scouting for fireline construction opportunities, securing Read More

Additional Evacuations Ordered For Diego Fire Area

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Smoke from the Diego Fire seen from Los Alamos a short while ago. Photo by Leland Lehman/ldailypost.com

DIEGO FIRE Update:

The communities of Wetherall Estates and Dunlap Spring are being evacuated along with Jarosa. An evacuation shelter has been established at the Rural Events Center in Abiquiu, located near the junction of High Way 84 and State Road 554.

Fire crews are fighting the 1,000 plus acre Diego Fire, which is burning southeast of Coyote. Currently the Northern New Mexico Type III Incident Management Team is in command of the fire, but they will be transitioning Read More

Diego Fire Update: Road Blocks on Forest Road 93/103, 103/116 and 115

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Photo by Danae Nielsen

Diego Fire Update:

Fire crews continue to fight the 1,000 plus acre Diego Fire, which is burning southeast of Coyote. Currently the Northern New Mexico Type III Incident Management Team is in command of the fire, but they will be transitioning to Nieto’s Type II Incident Management Team this evening. 

Dry, hot and windy weather is causing extreme fire behavior and long range spotting, but at this time, no structures are threatened. Heavy fuels and bug-kill also are aiding in the extreme fire behavior. Several campers on private Read More

Today Marks Anniversary of Granite Mountain Tragedy

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Staff Report

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona, which killed 19 “hotshot” firefighters. This summer, the interagency wildland fire community will mark the one-year anniversary of the Yarnell Hill Fire accident and the 20-year anniversary of the South Canyon Fire accident of July 6, 1994.

Although these accidents were separated in time by 19 years, they are bound together by several tragic commonalities. Both accidents were burnovers; both accidents resulted in multiple fatalities of highly trained, skilled, and experienced wildland firefighters; Read More