Image via WikipediaBy Randy EconomyLos Alamos, NM
The out of control Las Conchas fire has reached the famed Los Alamos National Laboratory and according to information released to the media the fire has been contained the "spot fire." Los Alamos is still closed due to the fire that has that is still out of control as of Midnight, Tuesday. Here is the "official" statement from LANL.
Lab Director Briefs New Mexico Governor, Congressional Delegation, Pueblo Representatives
Los Alamos, New Mexico, June 27, 2011, 10:00pm—Los Alamos National Laboratory and National Nuclear Security Administration officials today briefed the New Mexico congressional delegation, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, and representatives from neighboring Pueblos on the status of the Las Conchas wildfire and its potential impacts on Lab property. LANL Director McMillan thanked emergency crews who quickly extinguished a spot fire this afternoon in the Lab’s remote southwestern area. “Our efforts in recent years to thin ground fuels around the Laboratory, coupled with the reduction in fuels caused by historic fires in the area, are helping protect the Laboratory and townsite,” LANL Director Charles McMillan said in an afternoon conference call. “The Lab community is incredibly thankful for the regional, state, and federal resources coming to our aid.” The Governor said, after visiting Espanola’s Santa Claran Event Center, where some evacuees are sheltering, “I was amazed by their attitude; the spirit of the people there. They were so grateful.” She added that evacuees also appreciated how organized the evacuation had been. At the Lab’s Technical Area 49, the fire jumped across New Mexico State Route 4, but landed in an area that had been thinned of ground fuels in recent years. NNSA Site Office Manager Kevin Smith said, “Lessons learned from the Cerro Grande fire are being applied today,” and reiterated that Department of Energy senior leaders had pledged highest-level support and cooperation. Additionally, the Laboratory has called in teams to monitor its network of 60-plus AIRNET monitoring stations and has high-volume air samplers ready to deploy. “We’re doing this as a precaution,” McMillan said. “The health and safety of this community and our neighbors is our highest priority.” No Lab facilities face immediate threat and all radioactive and hazardous materials are accounted for and protected.
Firefighters Control Spot Fire on Lab Property
6/27/2011 17:07 - Fire crews have contained a spot fire that started in a remote area of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Emergency officials say the Las Conchas fire, which had burned to the southern edge of New Mexico State Route 4 at the Lab’s southwest boundary, crossed the road to the north early this afternoon. Air crews dumped water at the site within the Lab’s Technical Area 49 and brought the blaze under control. The area had been thinned of ground fuels in recent years. About one acre burned and the Lab has detected no off-site releases of contamination. No other fires are currently burning on Lab property, no facilities face immediate threat, and all nuclear and hazardous materials are accounted for and protected. Environmental sites are being monitored and air quality experts are coordinating with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Las Conchas fire has burned an estimated 49,000 acres in forests, canyons, and mesas south and west of the Lab. The Lab will remain closed on Tuesday, June 28, and is supporting Los Alamos County as it conducts a staged, mandatory evacuation of the town site. Los Alamos County residents should tune to 1610-AM for updated information. A Joint Information Center has been established at the Regional Development Corporation, 2209 Miguel Chavez Rd. in Santa Fe. Media should call 505-820-1226 for updates and monitor www.nmfireinfo.com for official fire updates.
1 comment:
The are lots of political area in the Los Alamos fire like other states like Florida holding slurry bombers from coming to help when they are in rain storms because the longer the planes reside in that state the more money they get from Fema! come on people we as a country aren't we in enough debit from dumb ass moves like that. we are wasting more on trying to bring back homes and other things taken out by fires. If the planes were let go when needed we wouldn't be so bad off. Better yet why don't we come together and pump the water flooding back east with solar panel pumps in a giant water line back to the dry states and prevent some of the future fires. Be smart about this people depend on you. Tiffany Rowe Alamogordo, New Mexico
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