Unified Fire Burns 500 Acres Near Belen, Evacuations Ordered, 0% Contained

A wildfire that ignited Tuesday morning in the bosque south of Belen tore through 500 acres by evening, spreading to both sides of the Rio Grande with no containment and forcing residents along Lagrima Road and Madrone Flyway to flee their homes.

The Unified Fire was discovered at approximately 11 a.m. near Madrone, east of Interstate 25 and south of Rio Communities in Valencia County. Rio Communities firefighters were first on scene and located a fast-moving fire adjacent to the bosque. What followed was a rapid, hours-long escalation: by evening the fire had grown to around 500 acres in the area of Highway 304 and Lagrima Road, with the highway closed between Lucero Drive and Barbara Street, and the fire sitting at 0% containment on both sides of the Rio Grande as of 8 p.m.

"The fire is active and running through bosque fuels including grass, brush, and timber," the New Mexico Forestry Division reported. "Multiple structures are threatened and smoke is visible from I-25 and the surrounding areas." George Ducker, spokesperson for the New Mexico Forestry Division, delivered that assessment as crews worked to establish a fire line in difficult riparian terrain.

Valencia County Fire Chief Matt Propp said there were two areas of fire crews worked, a smaller one in the bosque and a larger one on the edge of the river's forest. "What we did see early on was spot fires, caused by embers, ahead of the fire, so we were seeing four separate fires at one time," Propp explained. "Those fires all combined at one point and that's what we're working."

About 125 firefighters were on the ground working to contain the fire. Under state forestry coordination, Valencia County activated a cooperator agreement, the resource mobilization plan where fire crews from towns such as Bernalillo, Cochiti and Rio Rancho arrived on scene to help. Fire crews were also on hand to protect critical infrastructure to the north of the fire, including a large natural gas pipeline, fiber optics and a BNSF railroad bridge.

PNM cut distribution lines affected by fire activity, leaving approximately 265 homes without power. For residents without power who need to plug in medical equipment or access a cooling station, officials directed people to the Belen Recreation Center.

Residents off Madrone Flyway and Lagrima Road near the river were being evacuated. First responders warned that additional evacuations could be ordered overnight, with evacuation information expected to be posted first on social media for Valencia County and Rio Communities. Two evacuation shelters are open: 108 Rio Communities Blvd. in Rio Communities and the Belen Community Center at 305 Eagle Lane in Belen.

A temporary flight restriction is in place to keep airways clear for responding aircraft. No drones or aircraft are allowed to fly in the area, as flying will force air resources to be grounded immediately.

Weather conditions compounded the danger throughout the day. Temperatures reached 79 degrees with humidity at 11%, with afternoon highs near 89 degrees. KOB Chief Meteorologist Eddie Garcia warned that humidity would fall to around 10% during the afternoon, with northwest winds staying at 7-10 mph and stray gusts of 10-15 mph possible by late afternoon.

The cause of the fire had not been determined, but Propp said that because there was no weather activity in the area, he believed it to be human-caused. The incident was described as a Type 3 response, and the New Mexico State Forestry Division was set to take over the response Wednesday morning. As of 8 p.m., no injuries had been reported and no structures were reported lost.