Crews are working to contain the Tusas Fire in San Miguel County, which has burned approximately 250 acres since it started around 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Las Tusas area, west of Sapello. Eric Alarid, who co-owns a small company called DesertGate Internet, expressed concern about the fire’s proximity to his cell phone tower. “We’re pretty concerned about it,” he said. “We’re probably less than a mile away from our tower. And that tower just went up.” Melissa Wright, an agriculture agent for San Miguel County, has set up an official animal evacuation shelter at the Las Vegas Fairgrounds. “Livestock is our largest industry,” Wright said. “Goats, sheep, horses, cattle are the main ones that we would be accepting.”She added that animals “would be co-mingling in the arena at this point.” Wright noted that there is plenty of room at the fairgrounds and urged those bringing animals to provide at least a day’s worth of food. If you need to evacuate animals after hours, you are urged to call Wright at 505-454-1497 Ext: 1001.State forestry officials are encouraging residents to act quickly to evacuate livestock and prepare important documents.“Right now is a great time to move that livestock,” said George Ducker, public information officer. “That’s the evacuation that takes the longest. Getting animals in trailers. They’re scared. There’s a lot of wind.” Ducker explained that the fire is burning in an unburned area with fresh fuel, which contributed to heavy smoke on Wednesday.“This fire is actually an unburned area. So it’s a lot of fresh fuel. That’s what was kicking up a lot of that smoke,” he said. Fire crews, including 130 personnel, are working to establish containment lines along the flanks of the fire using bulldozers, water tenders, and hand lines, according to Ducker. More than 24 hours after the fire started, haze continues to linger in the area, and the road remains blocked off Thursday night. KOAT crews witnessed deputies with the San Miguel Sheriff’s Office stationed at the road where evacuations have taken place. Evacuations remain in place for residents along New Mexico State Road 266 between mile markers 3 and 6. Residents between mile marker 3 and Highway 94 are on Set status, while those on County Road A4A to Highway 94 remain in Ready status. An evacuation shelter has been established at the Abe Montoya Recreation Center at 1751 North Grand Avenue in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and it is burning timber, piñon-juniper and grass on private land.
Crews are working to contain the Tusas Fire in San Miguel County, which has burned approximately 250 acres since it started around 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Las Tusas area, west of Sapello.
Eric Alarid, who co-owns a small company called DesertGate Internet, expressed concern about the fire’s proximity to his cell phone tower. “We’re pretty concerned about it,” he said. “We’re probably less than a mile away from our tower. And that tower just went up.”
Melissa Wright, an agriculture agent for San Miguel County, has set up an official animal evacuation shelter at the Las Vegas Fairgrounds. “Livestock is our largest industry,” Wright said. “Goats, sheep, horses, cattle are the main ones that we would be accepting.”
She added that animals “would be co-mingling in the arena at this point.”
Wright noted that there is plenty of room at the fairgrounds and urged those bringing animals to provide at least a day’s worth of food.
If you need to evacuate animals after hours, you are urged to call Wright at 505-454-1497 Ext: 1001.
State forestry officials are encouraging residents to act quickly to evacuate livestock and prepare important documents.
“Right now is a great time to move that livestock,” said George Ducker, public information officer. “That’s the evacuation that takes the longest. Getting animals in trailers. They’re scared. There’s a lot of wind.”
Ducker explained that the fire is burning in an unburned area with fresh fuel, which contributed to heavy smoke on Wednesday.
“This fire is actually an unburned area. So it’s a lot of fresh fuel. That’s what was kicking up a lot of that smoke,” he said.
Fire crews, including 130 personnel, are working to establish containment lines along the flanks of the fire using bulldozers, water tenders, and hand lines, according to Ducker.
More than 24 hours after the fire started, haze continues to linger in the area, and the road remains blocked off Thursday night. KOAT crews witnessed deputies with the San Miguel Sheriff’s Office stationed at the road where evacuations have taken place.
Evacuations remain in place for residents along New Mexico State Road 266 between mile markers 3 and 6. Residents between mile marker 3 and Highway 94 are on Set status, while those on County Road A4A to Highway 94 remain in Ready status.
An evacuation shelter has been established at the Abe Montoya Recreation Center at 1751 North Grand Avenue in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, and it is burning timber, piñon-juniper and grass on private land.
