Los Alamos students were recently allowed to return to school as the Cerro Pelado Fire begins to fade. 

The fire that menaced Los Alamos has begun to recede and is no longer the threat that it once was. So, people are starting to go about their business as usual, according to KOB 4.

“I think that for every[body] one of the most traumatic things was when we announced we were closed for a week is everybody went right to March 2020, when we had to close for COVID,” Jennifer Guy, Los Alamos School District assistant superintendent, told KOB 4. “And we weren’t able to bring kids back. And so, especially for our high school seniors, but everybody just hated that idea of not being able to finish school in person. And so you could tell there was a big sense of relief this morning to be back at schools and back on campus.”

After much planning between school and fire officials, the schools announced that students would return to class on Monday. Last week, the school sent students home so that they could more easily monitor the fire and see how it progressed.

“It makes a difference to have good communication and good partnerships with those you’re working with,” Guy said about the school district's communication with local fire authorities. “And so that’s been excellent.” 

Fire officials reported that the fire was 62% contained as of Monday, so they and school officials believed it was safe to bring students back to the classroom. 

If students need to be sent home again, fire officials said they will give the schools a 24-hour warning, KOB 4 reported.