Los Alamos fire covers nearly 70,000 acres, up 12 percent in a day
The blaze has not spread to the nuclear lab, which will remain closed another day.
LAS VEGAS, N.M. -- The Las Conchas fire in northeast New Mexico increased 12 percent to 69,557 acres by Wednesday, with predictions it could spread to 100,000 acres.
Los Alamos National Laboratory said it would remain closed through Thursday, due to the nuclear lab's proximity to the fire.
Kevin Roark, a lab spokesman, said no new fires have broken out at the facility, since a one-acre blaze on Monday.
Los Alamos County fire Chief Doug Tucker told a press conference Tuesday that the fire, fanned by high winds, heat and low humidity, had the potential to become a monster 100,000-acre fire.
Wild land fire managers have beefed up assets to fight the fire, sending another Type 1 incident management team to the battle, said Sandra Lopez, a Forest Service spokeswoman. Type 1 teams manage response to the most complex fires that can threaten critical infrastructures, such as the lab, which, besides its classified nuclear weapons work, is one of the pre-eminent research facilitiesin the country.
Lopez said more than 550 personnel were fighting the fire Wednesday, up from about 300 on Tuesday, with the fire 3 percent contained. Assets assigned to the blaze include four bulldozers to build fire lines, 12 fire engines and five helicopters.
Lopez said one team will be assigned to handle the north edge of the fire and another to the southern section. The Las Conchas fire is located in the Santa Fe National Forest, west of the city of Santa Fe, and fire mangers also are coordinating the battle against another blaze, the 10,000-acre Pacheco fire, east of the city.
Lopez said an area command team will go into operation later today to provide overall management of both the Las Conchas and Pacheco fires.