Residents in Los Alamos are preparing themselves for an emergency evacuation as the Cerro Pelado Fire grows in size and intensity. The fire is tearing across thousands of acres and consuming large swaths of territory with each day, KOB 4 reported.
"For about the last three and a half years we've been doing preparation for a wildland fire we removed approximately 3,500 tons of fuel from the lab properties trees brush, those types of things," Jim Jones of the LANL Wildland Fire Program said.
As the fire starts to encroach on the area of Los Alamos, fire officials have designated the area in the "Set" stage, which means that all residents in the area must be prepared to leave if the need arises. This gives residents plenty of time to prepare, according to KOB 4.
Years ago, Los Alamos was affected by the Los Conchas Fire and the local fire officials learned a great deal from that experience. They have been prepping for the inevitable – another wildfire – for years now.
Lately, officials in Los Alamos have been setting up more groups designed to respond to residents and relay communications about wildfires. These groups have also been removing potential burn fuel from properties around the area.
