The Cerro Pelado fire in New Mexico was only six miles from the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory’s property as of 9:45 p.m. local time, the laboratory announced via its Twitter account (@LosAlamosNatLab) late Sunday.
The fire is “pushing southeast” and no Los Alamos County evacuations are planned currently and a section of New Mexico state Route 4 has been closed, according to the Tweet.
New Mexico 4 has been closed from mile marker 27 through mile marker 50, and an evacuation order is in place for a portion of Sandoval County, according to a Sunday afternoon tweet from that county’s fire department, which was subsequently reposted by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D).
“Strong winds continue to push heavy smoke from the Cerro Pelado fire into Los Alamos, White Rock and Espanola and create challenges for firefighters in the Jemez Mountains,” according to a joint press release from the laboratory, Los Alamos County and the National Nuclear Security Administration. “While the Cerro Pelado fire does not pose an immediate threat to the Los Alamos community, county officials announce that Monday morning it will close the White Rock Visitor Center and RV [recreational vehicle] park” located on Route 4,
So far this blaze appears far less worrisome to the laboratory than the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000 and the Las Conchas Fire in 2011 that threatened Los Alamos property and affected operations at the complex.
Another update should be made later this morning, a laboratory spokesperson said in a Monday email. The Southern Area Red Incident Management Team will hold another public meeting on the fire at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time.
The Albuquerque Journal newspaper reported Sunday the fire has burned nearly 104,000 acres and destroyed 166 homes, prompting local officials to tell about 13,000 people around Las Vegas, N.M., to prepare to evacuate. The fire is only 30% contained, according to the newspaper.
The National Weather Service forecasts Los Alamos will be sunny albeit smoky today with a high of 68 degrees Fahrenheit and winds of up to 15 miles per hour. Fire danger could be worse tomorrow as the temperature could climb to 72 and more importantly wind gusts could escalate to 35 miles per hour.
