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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Heat, high winds fan Western fires

26,000 acres burn on Colorado-New Mexico border

Fire trucks escape the flames Thursday after fire jumped State Route 92 near Sierra Vista, Ariz. (Associated Press)
Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Firefighters trying to protect homes, a popular national park and tinder dry patches of forest were tested Thursday as temperatures peaked and winds started to whip up the flames of several wildfires burning throughout the Southwest.

Along the New Mexico-Colorado border, the winds pushed one fire toward breaks that had been carved into the rugged landscape by bulldozers. Crews had anticipated the fire’s movement and were prepared to hold the line with help from helicopters and air tankers.

The winds were not as strong as expected, but fire officials said Thursday evening that the area was not out of danger.

“For the next couple of days we’re still going to see gusty winds, very hot temperatures and dry conditions. It’s possible we won’t have a red-flag warning, but we will still see some weather conditions that will challenge our containment lines,” fire information officer Denise Ottaviano said.

The fire had been sending up giant plumes of smoke that could be seen from Raton, N.M., each afternoon as the flames ate through nearly 26,000 acres of rugged terrain along the state line.

Thursday was a little different. There were some columns of smoke on the northern side, but not as severe as earlier in the week, partly because crews had made progress on the southern flank and the winds were pushing out of the southwest and away from town.

Interstate 25 between Raton and Trinidad, Colo., reopened early Thursday after being closed for four days because of the blaze.

Some nearby residents were able to return home Wednesday and more evacuations were lifted Thursday, but residents who live closest to the eastern and some northwest of Raton remained out of their homes for another day.

Fire officials confirmed Thursday that eight homes and six other structures have been destroyed.

Containment on the fire inched up to 33 percent Thursday, but more winds were predicted through the weekend.

“We’re kind of keeping our fingers crossed for the next three days because of the predictions,” Hadley said.

Fire managers were concerned about the fire burning in the Blue Range area south of Alpine – the least secure part of firefighters’ lines and closest to the nearest town still threatened, Luna, N.M., where about 200 people live.

A line of cut fuels and intentionally burned areas was completed between Luna and the fire itself at daybreak Thursday, and fire commanders expressed confidence it would hold.

More than 4,600 firefighters are assigned to the fire.

A single campfire was the fire’s “most likely cause,” Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest supervisor Chris Knopp said. He confirmed that investigators had questioned two people but declined to say any more about the investigation. He called them “persons of interest,” not suspects.

So far, there is no evidence it was a deliberate arson. “If it’s just negligence, it’s one penalty – a $5,000 fine and up to a year in jail,” he said. “If it’s deliberate, you can get a substantial prison sentence and be responsible for full restitution.”

Elsewhere around the West, crews fought smaller fires near Yakima, Veyo, Utah, and Westcliffe, Colo.

The outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, calls for fire potential to be above normal in some parts of the West through September.