Trigo Fire

The Trigo Fire was a disastrous [ [http://kob.com/article/stories/S432196.shtml?cat=516 "Governor declares Torrance County disaster area" "KOB TV " May 2, 2008] ] wildfire in New Mexico, United States of America that occurred during April and May 2008. It affected the communities of Manzano, Torreon and Tajique, burned 59 homes [http://www.inciweb.org/incident/news/article/1211/6805/ "InciWeb: Trigo Fire Update 5.06.2008 10:00pm" Southwest Area Incident Management Team, Southwest Coordination Center (SWCC)] ] and over convert|21|sqmi|km2. The fire was discovered the morning of 15 April 2008, approximately ten miles east of Belen, and had already burned some convert|200|acre|km2 on the western slopes of the Manzano Mountains. [ [http://www.koat.com/news/15940936/detail.html "Trigo Fire Timeline" "KOAT TV" April 20, 2008, updated May 7, 2008] ] [ [http://www.krqe.com/global/story.asp?s=8169392&ClientType=Printable "Aircraft expected today to fight Trigo Fire" "KRQE TV " April 16, 2008, updated April 16, 2008] ] The fire was 100% contained on 11 May 2008 and the last smoke sighted and extinguished was on 22 May. The US Forest Service has said that the fire will not be completely out until snow blankets the area in December. [http://www.mvtelegraph.com/mountain/15102215MV15_FIRE05-15-08.htm Nesbitt, Laura (15 May 2008) "N.M. investigators seek origin of on-going Trigo Fire" "The Mountain View Telegraph"] ]

Origin

The fire began early in the morning on the 15th of April 2008 in Trigo Canyon (labeled Cañon del Trigo on the USGS map [ [http://sar.lanl.gov/topo_maps/34106/data/o34106f4.tif Capilla Peak, N. Mex. Quadrangle 34106-F4-TF-024 1954, photoinspected 1975, DMA 4753 III NW series V891] ] ) on the west side of the Manzano Mountains. "Trigo" is the Spanish word for wheat which was once grown in the lower reaches of the canyon. There is a dirt road up into the canyon and fire investigators determined that there were individuals present in the canyon during the morning of the day the fire began. The fire is believed to have been caused by human negligence. On the morning of the 15th, turkey hunters were seen in the area where the fire started. [http://www.abqjournal.com/abqnews/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6943 Daniels, Bruce (30 May 2008) "Feds Believe Hunters Started Trigo Fire" "Albuquerque Journal Online "] ]

The very low relative humidity, high winds, and low fuel moisture coupled with the steep topography made containing the fire very difficult. For several days after the start of the fire the high winds prevented the use of aircraft in fighting the fire.

Economic effects

The fire burned convert|13709|acre|km2|0 of mostly ponderosa pine, pinyon pine, juniper and gambel oak in the Cibola National Forest. The total economic cost of the fire may not be finally determined for years, but initial estimates ranged from $50 to $100 million. The Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative alone lost “a total dollar figure of over $100,000 just in the miles of line alone”, not counting re-installation costs. There were 59 homes destroyed and 40 other structures [ [http://www.fema.gov/emergency/reports/2008/nat050908.shtm "National Situation Update: Friday, May 9, 2008, Wildfire Update: New Mexico: Trigo Fire" FEMA] (Federal Emergency Management Agency)] , representing over $10 million in direct losses. The initial cost of fighting the fire was expected to be $11 million, [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24583673/ "Trigo Fire fully contained" "KOB TV" May. 16, 2008] ] with an equal amount in clean-up costs.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1211/ "Trigo Fire"] InciWeb, Incident Information System, Southwest Area Incident Management Team, Southwest Coordination Center (SWCC), National Fire and Aviation Executive Board.

See also

* 1954 Water Canyon Fire
* 1977 La Mesa Fire
* 1996 Dome Fire
* 1998 Oso Complex Fire
* 2000 Cerro Grande Fire
* List of forest fires