Fire Still Blazing near Las Vegas

Extent of damage to homes unknown as officials say they might be able to re-enter some areas soon

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Firefighters expect to begin to assess how many homes have been lost and to report other damage from the ongoing Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire as soon as Sunday night, but the blaze was only 12% contained and continues moving in several directions as of a report early in the day.

The fire near Las Vegas began April 6 when the US Forest Service set an intentional prescribed burn that became a wildfire named Hermits Peak Fire. By April 22, that fire was deemed more than 90% contained. Meanwhile the Calf Canyon Fire ignited nearby on April 19.

Following day after day of high winds, yesterday officials said the two had merged into a complex fire that now has burned 54,000 acres—one of several fires burning in New Mexico that has prompted Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to sign emergency declarations for Mora, Colfax, Lincoln, San Miguel and Valencia counties and to remind residents about the seriousness of evacuation orders.

Jason Coil, one of the operations section chiefs on the fire for Southwest Area Incident Management Team 1, said in a video update Sunday morning that Saturday’s firefighting for the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire took place in “favorable weather” that allowed for use of “a significant air force” including fixed-wing air tankers and helicopters with buckets.

On the fire’s northeastern edge, work will continue to focus on preventing structure damage in the communities of Pendaries Village, Rociada, Upper Rociada and Lone Pine Mesa. Both along the perimeter and in the interior of the fire boundary, hand crew, bulldozers and engines are suppressing fires near structures, Coil said.

“We believe that by the end of today we should be in a position to start looking at areas that may be safe to re-enter if we can continue to get the work done that we did yesterday. When I say re-enter, I am not talking about evacuation, I’m talking about for damage assessments,” he said.

Taos County Sheriff posted photos of several burning structures on social media Saturday night, but have not estimated how many or identified their locations. The US Forest Service also reported Saturday that the fire had a “significant impact to private property,” Incident Commander Carl Schwope said in a video update, noting it could be three to four days before the extent of the impact can be reported.

“We know that everybody that’s impacted wants us to evaluate that situation and provide them with an update,” Coil said. “So as we think that is safe to do so we will coordinate closely with the sheriffs offices and with the counties and we will assist in any way that we can. We are not there yet. We are aggressively making progress towards that goal. "

Electricity remains off in Pendaries, County Road A-3A, Rociada, Manuelitas and Cañoncito and officials have closed several roads, including Highway 518 from Sapello north to Buena Vista.

Mora County Undersheriff Rick Padilla said Saturday night his department had gone door-to-door to warn residents in evacuation zones, green for “ready,” yellow for “set” and red for “go. Up to 900 structures are within the area and people are being housed at the Peñasco High School gym, Taos ag center and other locations. Residents seeking fire information may also call (505)356-2636.

Update: Fire officials gave an update Sunday night including a flyover video of the fire perimeter near Highway 518 and Schwope noted “tremendous progress.”

Editor’s note: An early version of this story gave the wrong federal agency that started the prescribed burn. It’s been corrected.