Las Conchas fire, 7-14-2011. Photo by Andrew Ashcraft, Granite Mountain Hotshots.
Andrew Ashcraft sent us this photo of the Las Conchas fire which burned 156,000 acres near Los Alamos, New Mexico in June and July. The photo was taken on July 14, 2011 while the Granite Mountain Hotshots were holding the fireline after the Prescott Hot Shots ignited a burnout. Thanks Andrew.
And speaking of the Las Conchas fire, according to the Rio Grande Sun, two attorneys are gearing up to file a lawsuit against the Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative, claiming the Co-op’s negligence regarding inspection and trimming of vegetation threatening its power lines led to the fire, which investigators determined was caused by a tree falling into a power line.
An engine crew from the Los Padres National Forest works from their Model 60 engine on the Las Conchas fire June 29, 2011
These photos were taken by Kari Greer for the U. S. Forest Service at the Las Conchas fire in northern New Mexico. These photos and others are available at ForestPhoto.com
A BLM lead plane precedes a P3 air tanker, marking the drop area with smoke, July 15, 2011, on one of the last P3 missions before Aero Union closed up shop.A P3 air tanker, July 15, 2011A P2V making a drop, July 15, 2011
This photo taken by Kari Greer on the Las Conchas fire in New Mexico, July 4, 2011, unfortunately does not have a caption, but I feel sure that some of our readers can help correct that oversight.
The Las Conchas fire, taken at 1:44 p.m. June 26, 2011, approximately 45 minutes after it started. Photo: Michael Grady
The Associated Press has widely distributed a story with the headline “Largest fire in NM history might have been averted”. The article quotes Albuquerque real estate agent Roger Cox who owns the 200-acre ranch near where the largest fire in New Mexico history started:
If there had been someone to attend to it when the power line got hit, there would have been no fire. It would have been a small burn, but there wouldn’t be a big fire. We didn’t have anybody there when the fire started. It’s not like we started a campfire that started a wildfire. The tree broke the wire and started the fire. There is nobody at fault. It is just an act of God that caused it, and it’s a horrible thing, but that’s it.
Mr. Cox goes on to explain that the ranch’s caretaker had gone to Los Alamos to run an errand and returned just in time to evacuate their 10 horses and 20 steers.
New Mexico State Forestry reported on July 3 that a powerline caused the Las Conchas fire:
Investigators believe the fire started after an aspen tree was blown down onto nearby power lines during a period of strong winds. The contact resulted in the line arcing, which then caused the tree to catch fire. Heat and flame caused the line to snap, which then allowed the burning tree to fall onto the ground where the fire spread into nearby vegetation.
The photo of the fire above taken by Mike Grady approximately 45 minutes after the fire started, shows that it was well established at that time and was being influenced by a strong wind. InciWeb states the fire started at “approximately 1:00 p.m.” June 26. On that day the records of the Tower weather station about 5 miles west of the fire’s origin show that at 1:21 p.m. the relative humidity was 6%, the temperature was 90, and the wind was out of the west at 19 mph gusting up to 41 mph.
Weather data from the Tower RAWS weather station June 26, 2011
Under those weather conditions it is doubtful that a ranch caretaker could have detected, gathered fire suppression equipment, traveled to, and then put out a fire being pushed by 19 to 40 mph winds adjacent to an arcing powerline.
Firefighters meet at a ranch in the Jemez Mountains where the Las Conchas fire started. Photo: Clyde Mueller/The New Mexican
Before it was picked up by the Associated Press, the article was originally written by Julie Ann Grimm for The New Mexican, where the headline does not say the fire could have been “averted”, but says “Co-owner of ranch near start of fire says caretaker was gone when tree ignited”.
It is unfortunate that the New Mexican and the Associated Press (especially) give so much credence to the statements of a real estate agent, and such fire suppression capability to a ranch caretaker. The fire could have been averted if the caretaker had not been running errands? Doubtful.
A team of cause and origin fire investigators led by New Mexico State Forestry has determined that a powerline caused the Las Conchas fire northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The fire has become the largest fire in New Mexico history and has blackened over 121,000 acres while running up suppression costs of $5.4 million and burning 63 residences. Here is an excerpt of a news release at New Mexico Fire Information:
An interagency investigative team led by New Mexico State Forestry has been determined that the Las Conchas Fire was caused by a fallen tree that caught fire after coming into contact with nearby power lines, according to New Mexico State Forester Tony Delfin.
Investigators from New Mexico State Forestry, the USDA Forest Service, New Mexico State Police and Sandoval County conducted the investigation and were on scene shortly after the fire started on Sunday, June 26. Since then, the fire has burned more than 121,248 acres.
Investigators believe the fire started after an aspen tree was blown down onto nearby power lines during a period of strong winds. The contact resulted in the line arcing, which then caused the tree to catch fire. Heat and flame caused the line to snap, which then allowed the burning tree to fall onto the ground where the fire spread into nearby vegetation.
We found a video of a fire starting when a tree contacted a powerline in Bellingham, Washington. Below is a screen capture, and HERE is a link to the video.
As of 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 3, the evacuation order for the Los Alamos town site has been lifted, except, State Route 4 remains closed west of Monterey Drive South and all access points to the Jemez Mountains remain closed.
Firefighters made good progress yesterday. Overcast skies and higher relative humidity played a vital role in moderating fire behavior. Some rain was received on portions of the fire. There was no major movement of the fire today, and firefighters were able to get handline around the northeast corner of the fire. A lightning strike started a small fire east of White Rock which was quickly contained by numerous fire resources.
The fire has burned 121,248 acres and is reportedly 11% contained.
Maps
It has now been a week since the Las Conchas fire in northern New Mexico started on June 26 and today, Sunday July 3, the incident management team has posted current maps of the fire, produced from data collected on an infrared mapping flight that occurred yesterday at 10:54 p.m. This is a major improvement by the IMTeam in providing one of the important facts about the largest fire in Arizona history — where it is. Before this weekend, if there was a map on the IMTeam’s InciWeb site at all, it contained data 36-48 hours old by the time it was posted. The earliest map on the IMTeam’s InciWeb site is dated June 30.
Photos
The IMTeam has not posted any photos of the fire. We just discovered that “Las Conchas Fire Information” has posted photos, not on InciWeb, but on Flickr. Los Alamos National Laboratory posted some images on Flickr until they stopped on July 1. A Wildfire Today reader sent us some great photos he took shortly after the fire started.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, in cooperation with a private company, has posted some interesting aerial images of the fire and the surrounding areas using new technology developed for the military.
