Firefighters braced for windy conditions Saturday as they tried to get a jump on a fire that burned two structures and prompted some evacuations as it raced through a wooded area along the Rio Grande south of Belen.
The Bernardo Fire burned about 300 acres, a mobile home and an abandoned house near the Valencia and Socorro county line. The blaze sent up a huge plume of smoke Friday afternoon, and the area remain hazy Saturday.
Firefighters have contained at least half of the blaze and hoped to start working on mop-up operations Saturday, said Laura Mulry, spokeswoman for the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.
"They will try to get a handle on it before the winds pick up,'' she said.
A battery of water and fire retardant drops helped to keep the flames down while firefighters cut lines around it late Friday. Helicopters picked up water from the Rio Grande and dropped it on as many hot spots as possible before nightfall.
The New Mexico Boys Ranch and several nearby homes voluntary evacuated for several hours Friday night until the fire died down.
Gov. Bill Richardson activated the state emergency response center in Santa Fe to help make more resources available. Richardson said he was concerned because of the dry conditions in the area.
Fire danger will be critical in New Mexico for the next several days as drier, warm air dominates the state, U.S. Forest Service officials said.
"This is the time of year when we just hold our breath as we have some of the worst conditions possible including drought-stressed vegetation,'' said Ken Palmrose, information and prevention officer in Phoenix.
Campfire, smoking and forest access restrictions have been posted across the state.
The Sedgwick Fire, which flared June 12 from a campfire, was 75 percent contained Saturday and has burned about 8,600 acres in the Zuni Mountains west of Grants.
Firefighters continued to monitor the fire lines and work on rehabilitating the area.
"While the fire danger has lessened, we still have to be certain that our lines will hold. We also need the leave the forest in as good shape as possible so those will be our two goals for the weekend,'' said incident commander Kurt Winchester.
Management of the Peppin Fire, which has burned 64,448 acres in the Capitan Mountains since it was sparked by lightning May 10, will be returned to the Smokey Bear Ranger District on Saturday.
The fire, which officials said has cost more than $7 million to date, has burned 12 cabins along with pinon, juniper, ponderosa pine and mixed conifer trees in rugged country in the Cibola National Forest.
