Fire closer to home this time, in the Jemez Mountains, about 50 miles north of Albuquerque, 30 west of Santa Fe. The fire began at 1PM yesterday, grew to 3,500 acres by evening and 43,000+ acres by now. So far, few if any structures have been lost, but smoke is back in our air and America’s nuclear weapons laboratory is closed — the fire is over the ridge from the lab at Los Alamos.
And this report:
Dixon Apple Orchard, a landmark northern New Mexico business that is a popular travel destination during the fall harvest season, has burned as part of the massive Las Conchas wildfire, according to Annette Narvaiz, town clerk for nearby Cochiti Lake.
Narvaiz also said at about 11:30 a.m. that the Pueblo de Cochiti golf course was on fire. “It’s headed toward the 15th hole,” she said.
Why such large fires in Arizona and New Mexico this year? It comes down to this. Albuquerque, by example, has had rain on January 31st/February 1st, April 7th and May 18th/19th. That’s it! Three incidents of measurable precip in six months for a grand total of 2/10ths of an inch.
Now you may say, but it’s a desert. True enough, but even so this is a tiny fraction of the usual moisture. Some areas have had even less; some have had none. It’s the driest six-eight months ever recorded.
And, of course, the fires are in the mountains with plenty of fuel.
Eleven years ago the Cerro Grande Fire destroyed over 400 homes in the Los Alamos area.