Firefighters at the Las Conchas fire in New Mexico did some black-lining or burning out along the border of the Los Alamos National Laboratory on Wednesday. On InciWeb it was described like this:
Firefighters were successful in holding the fire line along NM Hwy 4. Tomorrow firefighters will continue to work the fire line along the highway through Bandelier National Monument. Firefighters are working with the Los Alamos National Laboratory to prevent the fire from spreading on to the lab.
The Laboratory issued a news release about the burning operation:
LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico June 29, 2011 – Los Alamos County Fire Chief Doug Tucker said Wednesday that preventive burns just outside the western boundary of Los Alamos National Laboratory have been successful.
“In my professional opinion, there is a less than 10% chance of spot fires on Lab property this evening, diminishing tomorrow,” Tucker said during a briefing to emergency managers.
Firefighters began setting “back burns” on the west side of New Mexico State Route 501 around mid-morning. Those operations were declared complete by evening. The burns were intended to remove available fuel from the Las Conchas Fire, which has consumed more than 60,000 acres on two sides of the 37-square-mile LANL site but only one acre of the Lab itself.
“What I witnessed today was an incredibly professional job by men and women who are risking their lives to save our community and this Laboratory,” said LANL Director Charles McMillan. “I could feel the heat of the fire on my face as I watched from the roof of our Emergency Operations Center.”
The video below shows some of the burning operation.
