Hiking trails around Los Alamos National Laboratory, maintained by Los Alamos County, N.M., and the Department of Energy, closed over the weekend due to the Cerro Pelado fire in the Jemez Mountains and the lab announced it is restricting some staff to telework effective Monday.
The wildfire that has burned almost 37,000 acres since April 22 is currently fewer than four miles from laboratory property and about seven miles from the Los Alamos townsite, according to a Sunday joint press release from the county and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
The maximum telecommute posture is meant to reduce the lab’s daily headcount should an evacuation become necessary.
While there was as of Monday morning no emergency that would prompt evacuation around Los Alamos National Laboratory, local authorities have heightened their fire watch intensity to “set” in the “ready, set, go,” protocol. That means things could change rapidly and “it is time to create a plan and prepare in case of an evacuation order,” according to Sunday’s press release.
Fire crews have been removing underbrush and spreading fire retardant in an effort to keep the blaze from jumping Forest Road 289. The Saturday closure of the trails to all recreational use are part of Stage 3 fire restrictions, according to a weekend press release.
“The Laboratory is well-prepared to prevent fires from spreading to its property,” according to the release. A U.S. Forest Service helicopter is stationed onsite at the laboratory as is a 20,000-gallon water dip tank, laboratory water tankers and heavy equipment to assist with firefighting if necessary, according to a Friday press release from the lab.
Building on lessons from the past, the lab’s wildland fire team has actively managed the forest around the federal property for years, according to the release. The safeguards include maintaining fire breaks, evacuation routes and removing 1,500 tons of fuel from surrounding woodland this fiscal year.
The Cerro Grande in 2000 destroyed more than 100 lab structures and was responsible for over $331 million in damage at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, according to a February 2021 audit from the DOE Office of Inspector General.
As of Monday morning, the National Weather Service forecasts a continued “red flag warning,” with daytime high temperatures in the 70s, very low humidity and wind gusts up to 25 miles per hour through Monday night. Winds were expected to subside Tuesday but could return Wednesday with gusts then up to 35 miles per hour.
