Fire

Cummings Fire: Torrance County Wildfire Notification

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NMFD News:

The New Mexico Forestry Division (NMFD) would like to update you on a wildfire that is requiring the attention of suppression resources in New Mexico.

Cummings Fire 

Update: The Cummings Fire was discovered at 4:27 p.m., Monday, March 9 east of Moriarty in Torrance County. Multiple structures are threatened and smoke is visible from Interstate 40 and the surrounding area. The fire is burning in grass and brush and is active on multiple sides. Response crews are providing point protection for surrounding structures while working to contain the fire’s progress. The public should Read More

Zamora: Disaster Relief Was Meant For Fire Victims, Not FEMA Insiders

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By Rep. MARTIN ZAMORA
District 63
Candidate for Congressional District 03

When Congress created the Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire compensation fund, the mission was simple: help New Mexico families rebuild after one of the worst disasters in state history. Homes were destroyed, land was lost, and entire livelihoods vanished overnight. The fund was meant to be a promise that victims would not be abandoned by their government.

Today, that promise is in jeopardy, and the people responsible for oversight have failed the folks they were charged with helping.

Investigative reporting has revealed Read More

Rickman: Promises, Credibility & North Mesa Open Space

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By JIM RICKMAN
Los Alamos

I’ve read with interest all the hype and hullabaloo regarding the conversion of North Mesa open space into a bike park and other things. I’d like to offer one more perspective on the issue.

Back in May 2000, the National Park Service negligently ignited an uncontrolled inferno that incinerated the homes of some 400 Los Alamos families and forever altered the physical landscape of our community. Perhaps unbelievable to present-day citizens, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was highly functioning and nonpartisan, and politicians of both major parties Read More

Los Alamos Firefighters Bring Home The Trophy In Battle Against Santa Fe!

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Los Alamos Firefighter Mycah Huitron blocks a shot attempt by a Santa Fe Firefighter. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Los Alamos Firefighter Lucas Conway struggles to maintain control of the ball as Santa Fe Firefighters try to rip it from his grip. Conway scored 15 points in the game. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Los Alamos Firefighter Jevon Baker lines up to take a shot over the defense of a Santa Fe Firefighter. Baker scored 16 points in the game. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Sports News:

Los Alamos Firefighters were victorious in their battle against Santa Fe Firefighters Read More

Los Alamos County Expands Bulk Brush Collection Services Due To Wildfire Concerns

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A local brush pile. Courtesy/LAC

COUNTY News:

In response to the dry and warm winter season and associated wildfire concerns, Los Alamos County is expanding curbside bulk brush collection services offered to residents during the weeks of Feb. 23, March 9, and March 23. 

Please note the following guidelines and limitations, which help ensure that the curbside collection process runs smoothly and efficiently:

  • Residents must sign up and schedule a bulk pickup by contacting Environmental Services by phone at 505.662.8163 or email at solidwaste@losalamonm.gov.
  • A maximum of 15 bulk service
Read More

LAFD: Preparedness Is Great Tool Against Wildfires

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An example of defensible zones for a residence. Courtesy/LAC 

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

It is only February and there are already fires igniting in New Mexico.

During the Los Alamos County Council work session Feb. 10, Wildland Division Chief Van Leimer reported that this month there are two wildfires in the eastern part of the state. One is about 4,000 acres and the second is approximately 3,500 acres, he said. Luckily, they are grass fires and as of Feb. 10, Leimer said both were 70 percent contained.

It isn’t looking good for the rest of the country, either. Read More

Los Alamos County Council Celebrates How Teamwork, Compassion And Unity Saves Man’s Life

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Los Alamos County Council gathers with Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD) staff and residents Diane and Anthony Montoya, seated at center, to honor the Phoenix Award recipients during Tuesday’s work session. Back row from left, Deputy Fire Chief Tim Johnson, Firefighter Nicholas Lopez, Councilor David Reagor, Driver Engineer Michael Manzanares, Firefighter Jennifer Edmunds, Firefighter Paramedic Brian Thomas, Driver Engineer Paramedic Dustin Rogers, Council Chair Randall Ryti and EMS Division Chief Manuel Pacheco. Front row from left, Council Vice Chair Ryn Herrmann, Councilor Read More

New Mexico Public Safety Workers Call On Senate To Go With Governor’s Higher Pay Plan

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Bryanna Vargas, sergeant at the Springer Correctional Center, speaks in support of 6% raises for state public safety employees to be included in the state budget during a news conference in the rotunda of the state Capitol Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. Photo by Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican

By NATHAN BROWN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

Public safety workers are urging lawmakers to take up Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s proposal for bigger raises for corrections workers, police and firefighters, arguing the current pay rates put safety at risk by contributing to high vacancies.

“We show up every single Read More

Op-Ed: Protecting Northern New Mexico’s Land, Water, And Communities From Wildfire

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By Sen. Bobby Gonzales, D-Los Alamos
New Mexico District 6

In northern New Mexico, wildfire is not an abstract threat—it is something we have lived through, endured, and are still recovering from.

Communities across Taos, Mora, San Miguel, and Colfax counties know this all too well. The Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire burned hundreds of thousands of acres, displaced families, damaged acequias, destroyed grazing lands, and forever altered watersheds that our villages and pueblos rely on. The scars remain visible today—not just on the land, but in the lives of the people who depend on it.

Our Read More