New Mexico fire encroaches on sacred Native American grounds – ‘This is a fire like we’ve never seen before’

By Stephen Ceasar, Los Angeles Times2 July 2011 Several Native American tribes are lamenting the damage to sacred land and archeological sites caused by the largest fire in New Mexico state history. The Las Conchas fire has charred about 13,000 acres within the Santa Clara Canyon, an area of great significance to those who live […]

Los Alamos evacuees return to ‘charred and smoldering landscapes’ – Wildlife roving the city for food and shelter

By Danielle Flores, KOB.com3 July 2011 Los Alamos County reports that as of 8 a.m. Sunday, residents are allowed to return to their homes. State Road 4 remains closed west of Drive South and all access points to the Jemez Mountains and from Los Alamos County remain closed. The massive 121,000 acre Las Conchas fire […]

Wildfire near Los Alamos nuclear lab is largest in New Mexico state history

July 2 (Reuters) – The wildfire raging for a sixth day near the government’s Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory now ranks as New Mexico’s biggest on record, having charred more than 400 square kilometres of forest, officials said Friday. The so-called Las Conchas Fire, believed sparked by a downed power line, has been burning largely […]

June ties record with no rain in Prescott, Arizona; numerous fire bans in place

By Joanna Dodder Nellans, The Daily Courier7/1/2011 June tied the record for being the driest June in recorded history for Prescott, since no rain fell all month. While June traditionally is the driest month of the year, the average precipitation over the past 113 years is 0.39 inches at the official National Weather Service measuring […]

Warnings from 2007: The Age Of Megafires

(CBS) This story was first published on Oct. 21, 2007. It was updated on Sept. 3, 2009. […] 60 Minutes joined up with Tom Boatner, who after 30 years on the fire line, became chief of fire operations for the federal government. “A fire of this size and this intensity in this country would have […]

‘Past the tipping point’ – Megafires may change the U.S. Southwest forever

By Brandon Keim June 30, 2011 The plants and animals of the southwestern United States are adapted to fire, but not to the sort of super-sized, super-intense fires now raging in Arizona. The product of drought and human mismanagement, these so-called megafires may change the southwest’s ecology. Mountainside Ponderosa forests could be erased, possibly forever. […]

Video: Los Alamos Fire Chief: ‘We have seen fire behavior we have never seen down here and it’s really aggressive’ – Even burn scars are burning

June 30 (KOAT) – The Las Conchas Fire is now estimated to be 92,735 acres and a 1/2 of a mile from the closest home. Evacuations Still In Place, Fire Chief Says Technorati Tags: wildfire,forest fire,North America,drought,heat wave,global warming,climate change

New Mexico fire soon to be largest in state history

By P. SOLOMON BANDA and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press30 June 2011 LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) – A wildfire that is threatening the nation’s premier nuclear weapons laboratory and a community in northern New Mexico is poised to become the largest fire in state history. The fire near Los Alamos has charred nearly 145 square […]

Storm warnings: Extreme weather is a product of climate change

More violent and frequent storms, once merely a prediction of climate models, are now a matter of observation. This is the first of a three-part series By John Carey28 June 2011 Editor’s note: This article is the first of a three-part series by John Carey. Part 2, “Global Warming and the Science of Extreme Weather,” […]

Endangered species hit hard by historic Arizona fire – ‘The forest will be very changed, very, very different’

By BOB CHRISTIE, Associated Press 24 June 2011 PHOENIX – The largest wildfire in Arizona history left a charred landscape of blackened forest, burned-out vehicle hulks and charred fireplaces as it destroyed more than 30 homes. It also inflicted a serious toll on an ecosystem that’s home to numerous endangered species. The flames spared three […]

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