Las Conchas Fire: MANDATORY EVAC FOR LOS ALAMOS

Updated 10:15 pm: The Las Conchas fire, at an estimated 44,000 acres, entered Los Alamos National Laboratory property and is still zero percentcontained. EVACUATION IS NOW MANDATORY for Los Alamos.

Evacs are still voluntary for White Rock but Los Alamos evacuees are instructed not to relocate to White Rock in case it's evacuated, too. 

Los Alamos, NM � NM502 (Main Hill Rd) is OPEN into Los Alamos, however, individuals should only be entering Los Alamos townsite if it is absolutely necessary due to the evacuation now underway. The Truck Route is only open to departing traffic - vehicles may not use it to enter Los Alamos. SR 4 is open to White Rock from NM502. Residents leaving Los Alamos are strongly urged NOT to evacuate to White Rock, in case that community must be evacuated later on.
 Pajarito Rd is only open to LANL traffic.
Group 1, 2 and Royal Crest Trailer Park have all been notified to evacuate at this point using Reverse 911.  Group 3 has not yet been notified to evacuate. The County is reassessing use of Rendija Canyon for evacuation for Barranca Mesa and North Mesa. The soft sand in the bottom of the canyon is causing several vehicles to get stuck. As soon as an update about the new route is available, media will be notified.

To stay informed, check #nmfire on Twitter for the most recent news. Call 505-662-4333 for more info and, if you're in one of the groups to be evacuated, watch your phone for a reverse 911 call.

From the folks at Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, a word of caution:

FROM LOS ALAMOS COUNTY:
Los Alamos, NM � Los Alamos County officials are reporting the fire is now threatening Los Alamos. They are ordering a mandatory evacuation which will begin and proceed in this order: Group 1: Western, Quemazon, Ponderosa; Group 2: North Community, Barranca Mesa, North Mesa; Group 3: East of Diamond and the remainder of the town site. White Rock is NOT being evacuated at this time. Residents in Los Alamos should NOT go to White Rock to stay in case it is later evacuated.

FROM LANL:

Advance Notification about Evacuation Routes: Residents in White Rock would use SR 4 to NM 502 to evacuate. Residents in Los Alamos in the Downtown, North Community, Quemazon, Eastern, and Western areas would use either the Truck Route (East Jemez Rd) or Trinity Drive to NM502. Royal Crest residents would use the Truck Route to SR 4 to NM502. Residents on the mesas (North Mesa, Barranca Mesa) would use a graded road in the bottom of Rendija Canyon, the same emergency route used during the Cerro Grande Fire in May 2000. The road has been graded today as a precautionary measure and the gate through San Ildefonso property to NM 502 will be open. Under a mandatory evacuation, residents are reminded they should take only their most essential belongings, including medication and pets. Large vehicles such as RVs should not attempt to use the road through Rendija Canyon due to the low water crossings in the road. The road is graded to accommodate passenger cars, trucks or SUVs, not oversized vehicles.

Shelter is available for evacuees at the Big Rock/Santa Claran Casino in Española. Several hotels, including the Lodge, Plaza Real and Hotel St Francis in Santa Fe, are offering discounted rates  ($79, $99 and $99 respectively) for fire evacuees and their pets. The Santa Fe Animal Shelter (983-4309 x606) is offering to house evacuated animals.

LANL spokesman Kevin Roark tells SFR the fire still has not reached lab property. Roark also says the combustion of legacy contaminants around the lab is "not a concern."

"If you look back at [the 2000] Cerro Grande [fire], the smoke from that fire was no more or less contaminated than the smoke from your average forest fire," Roark says.

"We are somewhat concerned about that, absolutely," Rita Bates, the planning and policy section chief for the NMED's Air Quality Bureau, tells SFR. "We're researching it right now, and we're putting a plan into place."

LANL employees are advised to "check local news sources, the LANL Update Hotline 505-667-6622 and the LANL web page www.lanl.gov for updates."

Here's an awe-inducing time-lapse video courtesy of Michael Zeiler:

Though the fire has not yet reached the lab itself, in a press release this morning, officials say all hazardous materials are accounted for:

           Winds generally from the northwest overnight have helped keep the fire from entering Lab property, but forecasts call for a change by mid-day.

           Observation aircraft are currently conducting aerial surveys to gauge the fire’s growth and current size.
Overnight, as a precaution, the Lab cut natural gas to technical areas in LANL’s remote southwest area.  All hazardous and radioactive materials remain accounted for and are appropriately protected, as are key Lab facilities such as its proton accelerator and supercomputing centers.

           “It’s been a very long night for the fire crews,” said Lab Director Charles McMillan. “There has been an outpouring of support from the region, the state, and the federal government and for that we are profoundly grateful.”

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico June 27, 2011 -- New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez came to the Los Alamos National Laboratory Emergency Operations Center just before midnight, June 26.

“Our top priority is the safety of the people of our communities and property. I’m grateful to the state and local crews who are working so hard to keep damage to a minimum,” the governor said.

Los Alamos County Councilor Sharon Stover also arrived, noting “We’ve got a good team here, with folks who were here for the Cerro Grande fire, so I feel very confident about their being able to manage this. In addition, we’re getting a lot of support from neighboring communities.”

“We’d just like to thank the Governor and the leadership from surrounding areas who have been so quick to offer their support,” said Laboratory Director Charles McMillan.

A Joint Information Center has been established at the Regional Development Corporation, 2209 Miguel Chaves Rd. in Santa Fe.  Media should call 505-820-1226 for updates.