BLM: Brush fire on Highway 70 may last several days

LAS CRUCES - A lane of westbound U.S. Hwy. 70 on the east side of the Organ Mountains remained closed Monday because of a grass fire sparked a day earlier.

The brush fire — now dubbed the Organ Fire — started Sunday north of the highway and just east of San Augustin Pass, when a truck and camper trailer went up in flames.

The fire moved east, crossing a boundary into White Sands Missile Range, according to a WSMR spokesperson.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management fire information officer Rico Smith said mid-afternoon Monday that an earlier report of the fire being mostly contained was incorrect. Rather, it's only 5 percent contained. The fire has burned an estimated 600 hundred acres so far.

"They're probably going to be working to contain this fire for several days," he said. "They're monitoring the fire, and they're stopping the progression where they can. They're going to attack the fire where they can safely."

Smith said the weather forecast doesn't call for high winds Monday evening, which will benefit firefighters' efforts.

Wind speeds in Las Cruces were expected to be in the 5 to 7 mph range on Monday night, according to the National Weather Service. 

Even so, Smith said, overnight temperatures are expected to remain relatively high. And that doesn't help.

"Unless rain comes, it's going to be an active fire for at least this week," he said.

Lane closure in effect

New Mexico State Police, at the request of WSMR, on Monday closed the right-hand lane of westbound US Highway 70, starting at Milepost 167 in the vicinity of the fire. The closure was expected to remain in effect through at least 7 p.m. Monday, according to the state police.

Amber Reynolds, who lives on the East Mesa, captured photos and videos of the fire an estimated 30 minutes after it started. She'd been curious about a series of EMS vehicles that had been heading east. She followed them on Highway 70, reaching the scene of the vehicle fire, which was in the opposite direction of travel. Westbound traffic had been completely blocked at that time.

"We were going east, and we just pulled over," she said. "By the time we went up there, the truck and trailer were burnt to just a (vehicle) frame."

But the grass fire, thanks to winds, was gaining momentum. 

"We watched it travel hundreds of feet within a few minutes," she said.

The fire narrowly missed burning a home on the north side of the highway, according to Reynolds. Reynolds was able to return home when authorities, for a while opened, up a lane for westbound traffic.

Multi-crew response

Fire crews were working throughout the night to prevent fires from starting on the south side of Highway 70, said Doña Ana County Fire Chief Nicholas Hempel. Because embers were being carried by the wind, crews were extinguishing any new blazes that popped up. He credited work from county fire departments — Organ, Las Alturas, Radium Springs, Doña Ana, Fairacres and South Valley Fire — and federal fire crews, including from NASA, WSMR and BLM.

"The fire was not allowed to spread south of Hwy. 70, which was a challenge at many points," he said.

Hempel said between 40 and 45 county firefighters worked on fighting the fire.

Throughout much of the night, a segment of Highway 70 was closed entirely in the vicinity of the fire, according to Hempel.

"The whole highway was closed all night; it opened up in a limited capacity around 5:30 (a.m.)," he said.

State police began escorting some vehicles through the closed segment until most lanes reopened later in the morning, Hempel said.

By mid-afternoon Monday, only federal agencies were responding to the fire, Smith said.

Caution urged

The WSMR post, located several miles away on the south side of U.S. Hwy. 70, was not threatened by the fire. A total of 15 personnel from NASA, WSMR and the BLM were on scene, he said.

State highway department crews were seen Monday morning repairing asphalt that had been damaged by the truck fire.

With dry, hot weather continuing and the Fourth of July just around the corner, Hempel urged residents to be cautious using fireworks.

A so-called "safe and sane" ban on certain types fireworks that's been in place for years remains in effect. Other fireworks, like sparklers, are allowed.

Diana Alba Soular may be reached at 575-541-5443, dalba@lcsun-news.com or @AlbaSoular on Twitter. Sun-News photographer Josh Bachman contributed to this report.