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Las Conchas Fire
Fire began Sunday June 26th, 2011 at about 1 PM 12 miles south of Los Alamos

All audio segments and photos are copyright 2003-2011 by Cultural Energy, and may not be reproduced in any form.
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InciWeb.org Las Conchas Fire July 27
156,593 acres (245 sq. miles) burned, 95% contained. 196 personnel. 3 helicopters, 10 engines 1 water tender, 0 doziers. 15 Injuries to Date. 63 houses & 49 other structures destroyed. Cost as of July 12 $31,213,716

Fire acres by ownership is as follows: Dept. of Energy - 93 ac, USFS - 78,928 ac, Native/BIA - 4 ac, Jemez - 4,751 ac, Nat. Park Service - 20,854 ac, Private - 5,125 ac, Santa Clara - 16,608 ac, Santo Domingo - 262 ac, Valles Caldera - 29,968 ac.

Overview
Most of the Las Conchas Fire is contained and is in patrol and mop-up status. As of Saturday, July 23, a National Incident Management Team (NIMO) took over management of the Las Conchas fire suppression efforts from the Northern Rockies National Incident Management Team. The NIMO Team will continue management of the Las Conchas fire and assigned resources until the fire is declared contained. The fire has been divided into four branches and local fire suppression resources from the ranger districts, Bandelier National Mounment, and Valles Caldera National Preserve will form Task Forces of firefighters, engines and water tenders. Each Branch will continue to mop-up hot spots, patrol the fire perimeter, and complete remaining fireline suppression rehabilitation.

The NIMO Team has also been delegated the coordination and oversight of the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) implementation treatments. The identified BAER treament projects are designed to minimize emergency conditions to help stabilize soil; control water, sediment and debris movement; prevent impairment of ecosystems; and mitigate significant threats to health, safety, life, property and downstream values at risk. The BAER and fire suppression resources will work in tandem and coordinate their efforts to maximize efficiency and effectiveness..

Safety and Health
Severe thunderstorms are predicted for the next few days and may create localized flash flooding, especially within or adjacent to burn activity. These storms develop quickly and produce frequent lightning, gusty winds, and heavy rainfall. Take appropriate precautions if thunderstorms occur in your area.

Full InciWeb.org Details

InciWeb Las Conchas: Heat Map July 20

Santa Clara Pueblo Speaks
Santa Clara Pueblo Governor Walter Dasheno speaks out on the lack of resources allocated to stop the Las Conchas Fire move up Santa Clara Canyon. "We are devastated to witness the destruction of our precious homeland." The fire has now charred 12,000 acres of Pueblo watershed & continues to destroy cultural sites, forest resources, plants & animals which the people depend on for their livelihood & culture. Since the start of the fire, Pueblo officials repeatedly asked that adequate resources be devoted to the north end of the fire to keep it from impacting the Pueblo's lands. Wildfires have burned 2/3 of their forest over 13 years, including 8,300 acres in the 1998 Oso Complex Fire & the 2000 Cerro Grande Fire.

InciWeb fireline & progression maps - click on map for larger view
multi image composite map of Las Conchas Fire from InciWeb June 29 - click on Map for larger view
Las Conchas fire burns to Los Alamos National Labs

They have finally relased new maps and say they will make personnel updates at 8:30 tonight. (NOT!)

Update 10 am June 29
NM Fire, InciWeb, LA Monitor, KRQE: 69,555 acres, 3% contained, 12 homes burned. 350 personnel. 3 hotshot crews and 9 handcrews, Four dozers and 12 engines. 5 helicopters. (KRQE reports 20 aircraft)

Pre-Burns to Occur on LANL Western Boundary 11 am Wed. Fire crews will begin a series of targeted, preventative burns along the western edge of Los Alamos National Laboratory in an effort to further remove available fuels from the Las Conchas Fire.

Northwest - Firefighters scouted a potential fireline and burnout opportunities, including opportunities for aerial ignition on peaks to help moderate fire intensity along Valles Caldera 2 Road and Valles Caldera 9 Road.Firefighters will also continue to maintain a fire line using mop up methods along 4 Road to prevent the fire from spreading within the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Fire line construction will also continue toward the Cerro Pelado area.

From Sheri Kotowski: Las Conchas Fire air monitoring.
NMED changed out filters this morning on AIRNET (low volume) stations (measuring gross alpha and beta radiation, isotopic uranium and plutonium, americium, strontium) on the perimeter of LANL and at the airport. They will have data back in seven days. They are setting up high volume samplers that will be analyzed for the same constituents as AIRNET and also for heavy metals.

The lab has put out 60 additional air monitoring stations. Turn around time on the data will should be very quick according to NMED Oversight.

10 pm June 29: I'm happy to say that DOE and NMED Oversight, with EVEMG's assistance, have coordinated emergency regional air monitoring at the following locations:
Embudo Clinic, Rinconada
Embudo Valley Community Library, Dixon
El Valle at the office of La Jicarita News
2 locations in Taos, 1 at Holy Cross Hospital
Chimayo, across the road from El Santuario
Las Vegas, office of the New Mexico Environment Department


NM Fire info map June 28 - click for larger view

East - Firefighters will be working along SR 501 and Ski Area Road on through Highway 4 to curb the fire from spreading east. Structural protection continues in Bandelier National Monument. Crews will also be working spot fires along Ski Area Road. A structure implementation plan was set in place for the Pajarito Ski Area. The Los Alamos Fire Department was brought in to provide added resources in the area. A Sandoval County Assessment team is completing a post fire damage assessment. Their current assessment has documented twelve residences destroyed.

South side - The fire is backing down several drainages. Firefighters are scouting for potential fireline south of the fire and monitor the Alamo and Hondo Canyons, as well as the Sanchez and Capulin Canyon.

Below: NM Fire Info map of Las Conchas based on overflights around 3 am June 27. Click for larger image

The fire actively burning and is near boundary of the Labs. National Guard has been called out by the Governor. Fire began 1 pm June 27 12 miles from LA on private land.

Los Alamos County Administrator issued an evacuation order for the city of Los Alamos. The Cities of Gold hotel in Pojoaque is offering shelter services for evacuating residents of Los Alamos.

GeoMac Fire Mapping site

InciWeb Las Conchas site for more details.

Santa Fe New Mexican
Staci Matlock story

Los Alamos Monitor story

NM Fire Info

Below: NM Fire Info map based on overflights in the early night of June 27. Click for larger image

Click on these links to hear other collections of Cultural Energy Special Shows
David Barsamian Post Election Activism | Another World is Possible | Middle East Crisis
Picuris/Miranda Canyon Subdivision on the La Serna Grant includes Map
Sustain Taos: Bioneers' Shows | Lyla Johnston's Native Momentum
¡Que Vivan las Acequias! - Miguel Santistevan | Community Story Telling - Robert Wolf
Teen Media Camp Radio
| Teen Media Camp Video | Writers on Radio SOMOS
Geoff Bryce's Acequia Reports
| Lisa Fox's Farming Shows| Maye Torres Untitled
Jasmine Bennett interviews Presidential Candidates | Interview: Agnes Martin
Cuentos de mi Valle
: Theresa Silva
Bob Romero's Historia de Taos | John Paternoster's Rules of the Justice Game
Flowers Espinosa - Red Air | Exploring Sacred Places - Julia Bortz Pyatt
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