Several small fires thought to be fireworks related

The Santa Fe County Fire Department responded to seven fires of various sizes over the Fourth of July weekend, including a grass fire in Eldorado that burned about three-quarters of an acre before it was brought under control.

County spokeswoman Carmelina Hart said firefighters were dispatched to the blaze around 8 p.m. Sunday after a neighbor called to report it.

None of the fires threatened any structures, Hart said, and no one was injured.

“Based on observation,” Hart said, officials believe the fires were related to the use of fireworks, but they won’t know for sure until the state fire marshal finishes investigating.

Hart said county firefighters also provided aid on a fire in Torrance County.

The number of fire responses was “about average” for a Fourth of July holiday weekend, she added.

Things were quieter in the Santa Fe National Forest.

Spokeswoman Julie Anne Overton said in an email Monday the weekend was “unexceptional in the best definition of the word — no fire starts, no reports of illegal fireworks and no abandoned or illegal campfires on three of the five districts.”

“Patrols did find 21 illegal or abandoned campfires on the Jemez Ranger District,” Overton said in her email, and another three on the Coyote Ranger District. “But none of those campfires escaped and became a larger problem for firefighters to contend with.”

Overton said much of the Santa Fe National Forest saw some moisture over the weekend, which helped lower the immediate fire danger.

“However, a drying trend beginning on Wednesday and continuing into next week combined with above-normal temperatures will have fire managers watching conditions closely,” Overton said.