Raging N.M. wildfire burns more homes
Pastor Dale Morgan
Raging N.M. wildfire burns more homes*
AP
MANZANO, N.M. - The wind died down somewhat Friday near a central New
Mexico fire that jumped containment lines this week, but firefighters
were unable to get close enough to burned areas to determine how many
homes had been lost.
About 400 to 500 residents of the small communities of Torreon and
Tajique and surrounding areas were asked to flee because of the
20-square-mile fire in the Manzano Mountains, but some had refused to
leave their homes.
The human-caused blaze, which started April 15, burned nine weekend or
summer homes and several outbuildings last week. It had been 95 percent
contained at about 7 square miles before a spot fire flared on its north
side Wednesday afternoon and gusts of more than 50 mph drove the flames
northeast.
Fire officials said more homes burned Thursday as winds continued to
push the blaze, but they did not know how many.
The blaze was 30 percent contained Friday. Winds were calmer Friday,
around 20 mph with some gusts up to 30 mph, but those who fled had not
been able to return by Friday afternoon, said Linda Kearns, a fire
information officer.
Gov. Bill Richardson declared Torrance County a disaster area because of
fire damage. The declaration makes emergency state funding available for
firefighting efforts and to help provide emergency services.
In southern New Mexico, firefighters were battling an estimated
8-square-mile fire on the Mescalero Apache reservation. Residents of 70
to 80 homes in South Tularosa Canyon and Mud Canyon evacuated Thursday
as the fire made a run at the scattered housing developments.
Gwen Shaffer, a fire information spokeswoman for the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, said that no homes or other buildings burned, but that people
remained out of their homes Friday morning. Fire crews had no
containment lines on the blaze, she said.
Northeast of Los Angeles, a nearly week-old wildfire above the city of
Sierra Madre was declared contained Friday at 584 acres, less than a
square mile. The blaze in the Angeles National Forest caused four minor
injuries and briefly forced the evacuation of about 1,000 people.
In Southern California's San Jacinto Mountains, a fire ignited by a
cigarette was smoldering Friday as cool and calm weather aided efforts
to corral it, authorities said.
The 784-acre blaze was 25 percent contained and was "smoldering and
backing" onto burned areas, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Carlton Joseph
reported in an Internet fire update.
No evacuations were called and no homes were threatened, but the
wilderness and Mount San Jacinto State Park were closed, along with the
Pacific Crest Trail and several other hiking trails. Firefighters had to
hike several miles to reach the blaze, Joseph said.