Last night I diaried the newly erupted Las Conchas Fire which broke out at 1 pm, 12 miles to the Southwest of Los Alamos, New Mexico. The fire had grown to 3,500 acres in a few hours and had advanced to within a half mile of the back gate of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
As of this morning, the fire has burned 6,000 acres and is 0% contained.
The Live Web Cam Feed is here.
As of this morning the fire has increased to 6,000 acres with zero percent containment.
The Laboratory is closed today. All non-essential personnel have been asked to remain home. People in White Rock and Los Alamos are under voluntary evacuation orders. Many of my daughters' classmates have already left. One came to our house last night with his two cats.
NM 4 is closed at the 35 mile marker and power is out in the area. Cochiti Mesa, Bandolier National Monument and the Valles Grande National Preserve have been evacuated as has the Jemez Falls campground.
There is no lightning, no cloud anywhere in sight so most of us are guessing the the fire was caused by people. As of last night, it had advanced to within a mile of Los Alamos with spot fires developing up to half a mile.
The Cerro Grande fire may turn out to be our saving grace in terms of containment, as it already burned much of the area around Los Alamos eleven years ago. Fuel in burned areas is less dense.
I woke up this morning to an eerily grey cloudless sky and a full house.