State officials are cautioning residents across New Mexico about dangerously hot and dry conditions that have already resulted in numerous fires, reminding everyone to be extra cautious as we approach the Fourth of July holiday.
"We are at the highest risk for dangerous fires that threaten our open spaces," the Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department tweeted this month. "Remember: no smoking, fireworks or open flames. If you see smoke or suspicious activity, please report it immediately to 911 or 242-COPS."
The call for caution follows 2020 as the worst fire season ever recorded in the Western U.S., when more than 8 million acres burned, according to state-by-state data provided by the National Interagency Fire Center. California sustained more than 4 million acres burned while New Mexico sustained more than 1 million acres burned, according to the data.
The vast majority of acres burned in New Mexico last year were on forestry-service land, and there are already several active forest fires in progress including the Johnson Fire and Bullard Fire in Gila National Forest and the Lampbright Fire in Grant County. These fires have all been attributed to lightning strikes, according to New Mexico Fire Information.
In Albuquerque and other cities, numerous open-burning and other outdoor-fire ordinances are in place to reduce the risk of fires, but they will occur in conditions such as these if people are not extra-vigilant. Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) has been working around the clock, KRQE News reports, containing and extinguishing more than a dozen blazes in the bosque that have had residents on edge the past few weeks.
“As you know, the bosque is littered with dry fuel and it can go up really fast,” AFR Lieut. Alejandro Romero told KRQE.
The Albuquerque Police Department arrested a man for a fire that was set two weeks ago near Tingley and 12th Street, KRQE reported, and the Los Lunas Police Department arrested someone for a fire that was started in the bosque on Tuesday night.
AFR is investigating whether the fires along the bosque have been intentional or accidental, KRQU reported, but they have determined that all were caused by people.