By Dave Kavanaugh
Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico)
Copyright 2006 Albuquerque Journal
MIAMI, N.M. — This Miami heat came with smoke and cinder.
More than 300 firefighters from across New Mexico and out of state battled the Rivera Mesa Fire for a fourth day Tuesday after the blaze spread to an estimated 10,000 acres, according to State Forestry officials.
High winds that have prompted multiple red flag warnings from the National Weather Service across the affected area — a spread of mountainous terrain between the villages of Miami and Ocate — and much of the rest of northern New Mexico made firefighting conditions more difficult.
As of late Tuesday, no damage to buildings or threats to residential areas had been reported, but the rapid growth of the fire from late Monday led to a Type 2 incident team taking over operations while the number of firefighters at the scene tripled. With the fire at 10 percent containment, crews were expected to remain through the week.
State Police closed a five-mile stretch of County Road 21 and N.M. 21 between Miami and Rayado, State Forestry spokesman Dan Ware said.
State officials said the closure was partly a precautionary measure because of blowing smoke and also to restrict access to the northern flank of the blaze, where most of the fire’s growth has been reported this week.
Winds from the southwest pushed the fire to the northeast and toward the UU Bar Ranch and Miami from the point where it originated late Friday. Officials have said they believe a lightning strike caused the fire.
“This area is known for its strong and erratic winds,” said Bob Lineback, who heads the Type 2 team assigned to the blaze, in a news release issued Tuesday morning. “We saw very active fire behavior (Monday and Tuesday) as a result of those winds and the area’s dry conditions.”
“We’re doing retardant drops from the air,” said Margo Whitt, an information officer with Lineback’s Type 2 team. “We hope to have a better idea (on total size and containment numbers) after a strategy meeting (Tuesday night).”
A total of 305 firefighters along with six engines, four bulldozers and three helicopters had been deployed as of Tuesday morning. But firefighter Ron Pierson said he heard even more resources had been devoted to the effort by late in the day.
“There’s more than 430 (firefighters), last I heard,” he said. Pierson said that although crews had battled the blaze from multiple sides, local road systems had been used to form a line around the southern edges of the fire, leaving the major front on the northern side.
An incident command post was set up at a private ranch property south of Ocate. There, dozens of tents and tarps serve as shelter while crews continue to battle the fire.
Heavy smoke could be seen and smelled as far away as Interstate 25, 10 miles to the east. Several small communities, particularly Miami, were covered with a smoky haze Tuesday.
“We’ve already had a few fires,” said Bob Potter of Miami. “This one’s not that close.”
More than 200 fires - including large blazes this spring near Ojo Feliz and Cimarron that burned tens of thousands of acres - have been reported this year in northeastern New Mexico. Some have been caused by lightning, others by downed power lines or humans.