Monday, June 04, 2012

New Mexico blaze: Increasingly contained but far from controlled

Firefighters are starting to get a handle on the biggest fire in New Mexico history, but officials say they still have a long way to go. The conflagration — which has consumed more than 241,701 acres in the southwestern part of the state and scorched stretches of the Gila Wilderness — is now 17% contained, officials said Sunday. That’s up from 10% on Friday. “We’ll see those containment numbers grow, but 70% of the fire is in wilderness areas, and it’s very tough to hike crews in, so we’ll see a point when those numbers slow down,” Ricardo Zuniga, a spokesman for the government inter-agency team responsible for the 1,236 personnel fighting the fire, told the Los Angeles Times...more

Notice the firefighters would have to "hike" into the wilderness, because no motorized vehicles are allowed.  Homes burned, resources and wildlife destroyed, but protect that wilderness.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Knowledgeable folks reporting that 50%+ of the Gila Wilderness vegetation has been consumed by this fire. Watershed damage to the headwaters of Gila Creek. Endangered Gila Trout will have to be restocked. Habitat for the Bighorns reduced. Soil erosion potential greatly enhanced. Water quality reduced, stream siltation increased,wildlife habitat reduced, tourist dollars going elsewhere. Good Job!