Fire chief says Los Alamos lab is safe from wildfire
(CNN) -- The Los Alamos National Laboratory in the New Mexico town of the same name will be spared from a fire raging in the vicinity, the Los Alamos fire chief told CNN Wednesday.
"We feel very comfortable that material is secure," Chief Doug Tucker said.
Concerns were raised that the wildfire could put at risk waste or other toxic materials stored at the lab.
But Tucker said that the waste, which is stored in drums, are kept on a blacktop with no vegetation around and are safe from fire. In case the fire was to close in, firefighters were ready to use foam to ensure that nothing would be released into the environment, he said.
Wednesday＇s weather appeared favorable to their work fighting the blaze, he said.
The Los Alamos lab, near Sante Fe, New Mexico, will remain closed through at least Thursday, officials said.
"Laboratory facilities will be closed for all activities and nonessential employees are directed to remain off site," the lab said in a statement.
The Los Alamos fire, which is officially called the Las Conchas Fire, flared on Sunday.
It had consumed about 61,000 acres by early Wednesday, according to InciWeb, an online database that keeps track of natural disasters such as fires and floods.
The fire is 3% contained.
All was under control at the facility despite a small fire that broke out Monday on the grounds and was quickly extinguished, said Charles McMillan, the laboratory＇s director.
The Las Conchas fire touches the south border of the lab＇s 40-square-mile facility, and comes close to the west border, according to Tucker.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez warned citizens to avoid using fireworks on July Fourth and the rest of the season.
The Las Conchas fire is one of several burning in the region.
Area resident Susan River said she is surrounded by fire.
"I look out my front door and see the Pacheco fire and I look out my back door and see the Los Alamos fire," River said Tuesday. "I think a lot of people in Santa Fe are in that situation right now."
River, an academic affairs employee at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, hosted one of Los Alamos＇ evacuees Monday night.
"It＇s very difficult for him," she said. "It＇s a very uncertain time. This fire is acting so differently (from ones before) -- it does make me a little nervous."
The Las Conchas Fire began on private land and expanded into the Santa Fe National Forest and Jemez Ranger District, according to InciWeb.
The Pacheco Fire continues to burn in the Pecos Wilderness, two miles north of the Santa Fe Ski Basin. It has scorched 10,000 acres since it began June 18.
The blaze was 20% contained early Wednesday, but it＇s likely to continue growing, according to InciWeb.
The Donaldson and Game fires south of Hondo and U.S. Highway 70 have merged into one fire that has consumed an estimated 15,000 acres and is also 0% contained, according to the New Mexico Fire Information website.
No structures have been burned, however, and no one has been evacuated due to the fire, which was started by lightning, according to the website.
Not only have dry conditions and gusty winds threatened the growth of the fires, but residents in Santa Fe and Los Alamos, including River, fear the effect the Las Conchas fire will have on the laboratory.
The lab is about 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, but still River worries.
"They say there＇s no real danger," she said. "But you don＇t know ... it＇s a little nerve-wracking."
Voluntary evacuations began Sunday evening in Los Alamos and White Rock, a town southeast of Los Alamos, but quickly became mandatory for Los Alamos residents by Tuesday, according to InciWeb.
River attributes the success of such evacuations, in part, to past experiences.
"I think everybody learned a lot from the last fire," she said. "I have to say that from what I can see, the evacuation from Los Alamos was very efficient and it seemed to go off without a hitch."
River plans to leave town if necessary and stay with friends who are out of the way of the fires, she said. |
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