Plenty of grasses, wind a bad combo
By Matt Gomez
Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico)
Copyright 2007 Albuquerque Journal
ALBEQUERQUE — Despite a wet winter, the East Mountains still has potential for a serious wildfire, says Ken Till, a wildland fire liaison for the East Mountain Coalition of Neighborhood and Landowner Associations.
The presence of wind and “fine fuels” - grasses and weeds - could result in a bad wildfire in the East Mountains once the area starts to dry up in the spring, Till said Friday.
“I think the main thing is, people need to think about defensible space,” Till said. “For the month of March and April there’s still a window of opportunity to clean up around their space and make defensible space ... an issue.”
Defensible space is an area surrounding a home that has had excess growth and debris removed to help prevent the spread of a wildfire.
Till explained that the abundant snows this winter have brought the moisture content of live vegetation in the East Mountains up to a normal level but have also created a situation in which grasses and shrubs can spring up rapidly.
“All the dry grass, weeds and flowering plants can be extremely flammable, and they add to ‘fine fuels’ for a wildfire when cured,” Till wrote in a recent article distributed by the East Mountain Interagency Fire Protection Association. “Just a short period of dry weather is enough time to dry and cure these ‘fine fuels’ and create a dangerous situation as illustrated by the Belen fires (in February).”
Till said creating a defensible space around a home is as simple as “manicuring the site and landscaping to help suppress the advance of a wildfire.”
“Have a professional come out and work with you, as defensible space DOES NOT have to look like a bomb went off,” Till wrote. “It is simply manicuring the site and landscaping in a manner that provides a greater degree of success in suppressing the advance of a wild land fire.”
Till, who also sits on the EMIFPA board, said EMIFPA just wrapped up work on multiple grants for outreach efforts in the East Mountains regarding wildfires.
One of the grants, Till said, is to bring twenty 40-cubic-yard roll-off containers to East Mountains neighborhoods for residents to deposit their green waste - such as leaves, grass and shrubs.
The roll-off containers would be distributed to 10 neighborhood associations in the East Mountains, Till said.
EMIFPA should hear this month whether the grant is approved, Till said.
Red Flag Fire Weather Warnings are also being put in place to warn residents of potential wildfire conditions that include “high temperatures, lack of moisture and high winds,” a recent e-mail from the Bernalillo County Fire Department explained.
“Under normal circumstances, a red flag would be a visual aid for notifications that ‘no burn’ conditions exist,” the e-mail says. “However, in this year of early fire danger, we are using it as a visual reminder that if a wildfire or structural fire were to occur, the fire weather would be severe and conditions exist that could mean devastation.”
If a red-flag day is declared, fire stations in affected areas will lower their American flag and raise a red flag to warn of potentially dangerous fire conditions, the e-mail says.
EMIFPA is planning at least two public meetings in the East Mountains about fire danger awareness, Till said. The meetings have not been scheduled but will be announced soon.