The Las Conchas Wildfire burning near the Los Alamos National Laboratory is closing in on 100,000 acres. According to the Forest Service, the fire, which started on Sunday from unknown causes, is only 3 percent contained.
Because the wooded area is dried out, the flames can quickly ignite. Consequently, fire managers are concerned about the fire taking off on 'spot runs.' There were over 1,000 firefighters on the scene who were focused on lighting back fires on Thursday to remove brush and other fuels. They also coated a canyon slope with a thick line of fire retardant foam.
The Las Conchas blaze, which devoured more than 23,000 acres in 24 hours, was expected to plunder more than 1,000 additional acres early Friday, making it New Mexico's biggest fire ever, out-consuming 2003's Dry Lakes fire, which burned 94,000 acres, or 150 square miles, near the Gila National Forest in southern New Mexico.
Here's a look at the latest photos:
The sun shines through the smoke from the Las Conchas wildfire near the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, June 29, 2011. The New Mexico wildfire raged largely unchecked for a fourth day near one of the nation's top nuclear arms production plants on Wednesday, but firefighters finally gained some ground in corralling the flames.REUTERSSmoke from the Las Conchas wildfire builds in the background as Los Alamos Fire Chief Doug Tucker (L) and Los Alamos Police Chief Wayne Torpy talk in Los Alamos, New Mexico, June 29, 2011. The New Mexico wildfire raged largely unchecked for a fourth day near one of the nation's top nuclear arms production plants on Wednesday, but firefighters finally gained some ground in corralling the flames.REUTERSSmoke from the Las Conchas wildfire envelopes buildings at the Los Alamos National Laboratory near Los Alamos, New Mexico, June 29, 2011. The New Mexico wildfire raged largely unchecked for a fourth day near one of the nation's top nuclear arms production plants on Wednesday, but firefighters finally gained some ground in corralling the flames.REUTERSThe sun sets as smoke from the Las Conchas wildfire envelopes the hills above at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M.REUTERSCharred forest smolders from the Las Conchas Fire near Los Alamos, New Mexico, June 30, 2011. The fire has charred nearly 93,000 acres of thick pine woodlands on the slopes of the Jemez Mountains since erupting on Sunday near the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and was poised to become New Mexico's largest ever wildfire by day's end.REUTERSSmoke from the Las Conchas wildfire rises behind the The Valles Caldera National Preserve near Los Alamos, New Mexico June 30, 2011. The fire has charred nearly 93,000 acres of thick pine woodlands on the slopes of the Jemez Mountains since erupting on Sunday near the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and was poised to become New Mexico's largest ever wildfire by day's end.REUTERSFire crew members search for hotspots in the forest charred by the Las Conchas wildfire near Los Alamos, New Mexico, June 30, 2011. The fire has charred nearly 93,000 acres of thick pine woodlands on the slopes of the Jemez Mountains since erupting on Sunday near the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and was poised to become New Mexico's largest ever wildfire by day's end.REUTERS
