Fire in New Mexico edges toward nuclear facility
Arizona fire endangers habitats
April 28, 1996
Web posted at: 8:00 p.m. EDT(CNN) -- A fierce forest fire whipped through New Mexico canyonlands Sunday, edging closer to the Los Alamos National Laboratory property. A spokesman for the 43 square mile facility said that the fire is not threatening nuclear materials stored on the site. (346K QuickTime movie)
Buffeted by unpredictable winds, the fire burned more than 11,000 acres near the southern edge of the property. About 3,000 of those acres lie inside Bandelier National Monument, where the fire is threatening the ruins of ancient cliff dwellings. No injuries have been reported.
Los Alamos Lab spokesman James Rickman said that a fire perimeter had been established to protect lab property, with brush and trees removed. The area closest to the flames includes offices, scientific labs, equipment storage and a facility where tritium-contaminated materials are stored, he said.
But Rickman said the tritium-contaminated material is housed in a thick-walled building that was unlikely to burn, and would be covered with flame retardant foam as a precaution. There is no danger of tritium being released by fire, he said.
"Any areas that have nuclear materials are far, far away from the fire," Rickman said.
The fire, which officials believe was ignited by sparks from an abandoned campfire Thursday, was six miles from the Los Alamos Lab property but moving toward it.
Authorities arrested two people Saturday on suspicion of setting the fire by not fully dousing their campfire. They face arraignment on Monday.
In Bandelier National Monument, the fire was edging closer to several cliff dwellings and other artifacts of the Native American tribes who once lived in the region. Among the artifacts threatened was the Stone Lions Shrine, an ancient circle of stones still used for ceremonial rites by the Cochiti tribe.
Thick smoke from the fire, seen for miles in every direction, kept park officials from determining what damage was already done.
"The fire is skipping down canyons, the smoke is all over the place," said park ranger Kristi Drexler. "It's totally unpredictable."
Over 800 firefighters battled the blaze on Sunday, but winds ranging up to 25 miles per hour slowed their efforts to fight the fire from the air.
Firefighters in Arizona desperately tried to stop a fire that had engulfed more than 1,400 acres atop Mount Graham, destroying the habitats of endangered species and threatening an observatory and summer homes. (261K QuickTime movie)
More than 500 firefighters fought the blaze Sunday that has charred land that is home to the Mexican spotted owl, northern goshawk and Mount Graham red squirrels -- all endangered species.
The fire also crept dangerously close to a University of Arizona observatory and about 20 summer homes.
Related sites
- National Interagency Coordination Center Incident Managment Reports - a ftp site that contains updated reports on forest fires
- The International Fire Information Network
- USDA Forest Service
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