At a community meeting held at the Arroyo Hondo fire station last night, firefighters advised area residents on fire safety measures for the upcoming dry season.---
Hondo Volunteer Fire Chief Tom Chilton described last year's fire season in the district for the standing-room-only crowd. Between March 13 and September 27 of last year, there were 30 wildland fires in the area, started by everything from discarded cigarette butts to spontaneous combustion of manure.
One manure pile in Eldorado (outside the district) caught fire in four different places, Chilton said. He recommends horse manure be spread no thicker than two or three inches, because the heat and volatile gases created by the decomposition process can cause a fire. Other fires were started by chains hanging out of vehicles and dragging on the road, creating sparks, and hot pieces of old catalytic converter
shooting out of vehicle exhaust pipes.
Santa Fe County Commissioner Kathy Holian, who organized the meeting, said additional fire hydrants are planned for the area in the future, which may also affect the insurance rating for area properties.
Santa Fe County Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Martin Vigil played frantic dispatch recordings from last weekend's fire in Chimayó to demonstrate the level of panic that can happen during a brush fire in
a residential area. Vigil described a chaotic scene with 100-foot-tall flames and abandoned cars parked amid dry brush.
"A lot of what we saw [in Chimayó] in terms of fuel load is all over Santa Fe County," Vigil warned. In addition to creating defensible space around properties, county residents should be aware that possessing a burn permit doesn't allow them to burn during unsafe conditions, like windy days. When burning, manipulating electrical equipment outdoors, or doing anything else that could cause a spark, keep a garden hose handy, Vigil said.
County residents who see smoke should always call 911 (never an individual fire station), even if they're not sure there's a unattended fire, and even if they think someone else will report it, Vigil said. More calls give additional help to dispatchers as they try to determine the best response.
