Two brush fires along I-25 disrupt traffic as crews battle flames
Two small brush fires that ignited around 10 a.m. Thursday along northbound lanes of Interstate 25 near Eldorado prompted authorities to divert traffic to Old Las Vegas Highway as firefighters worked.
By 11:20 a.m., crews had “knocked down” the fires, said Santa Fe County fire Chief David Sperling, and were going through the area to make sure the blazes were completely extinguished.
One of the fires was about a quarteracre, Sperling said. The other was roughly an acre and a half.
The blazes broke out amid what many feared would be one of the worst fire seasons in Northern New Mexico. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the northern half of the state is in “extreme drought,” with some parts faring even worse — in “exceptional” drought conditions.
A wildfire that had threatened the village of Cimarron in northeastern New Mexico, scorching nearly 37,000 acres since it sparked May 31, was 66 percent contained Friday, officials said, and all evacuation orders in the area were lifted. The Ute Park Fire, named for the tiny community of Ute Park about a mile from the fire, burned 14 outbuildings on the Philmont Scout Ranch.
The Boy Scouts of America operation was forced to cancel backcountry treks and training programs scheduled to begin Friday. Activities have been canceled at the ranch through July 14, according to the Philmont website.
Staff working at the ranch when the fire started were forced to evacuate to nearby fairgrounds, where they set up a tent camp.
The cause of the Ute Park Fire is still unknown, according to fire officials.
Lightning sparked three small fires in Gila National Forest on Thursday, the largest about 120 acres, according to fire officials, but all were fully contained or nearing full containment Friday.
Meanwhile, a more than 2,500-acre fire near Mescalero that also ignited Thursday was threatening about 100 homes and a school in the Southern New Mexico town, and Public Service Company of New Mexico briefly shut down power Friday to several communities in the area to allow for air tankers to drop retardant.
The cause of the Soldier Canyon Fire, on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, was unknown.
Santa Fe County crews haven’t yet determined the cause of Friday’s brush fires along I-25, Sperling said.
“Usually, if there’s something along the interstate, especially more than one fire, it’s related to sparks from a vehicle,
somebody dragging a chain … something along those lines,” he said.
The county imposed burn restrictions in April, prohibiting open flames for at least 90 days. Last week, the Santa Fe National Forest shut down public access for the first time since 2013 to guard against potential fires. Other public lands also have closed until monsoon rains bring relief from the drought.
“We’re just trying to jump on everything as fast as we can, as soon as we get notification, and keep what we can small and controllable,” Sperling said. “And praying for rain.”