VALENCIA COUNTY, N.M. — A fire is quickly growing south of Belen and has prompted road closures and evacuations Tuesday.
The Unified Fire has now burned around 500 acres in the area of Highway 304 and Lagrima Road. The highway is closed between Lucero Drive and Barbara Street.
As of 8 p.m. the fire was 0% contained and located on both sides of the Rio Grande.
Fire crews from around the region are responding. The fire is described as a “Type 3” incident, meaning the New Mexico State Forestry division will be taking over the response Wednesday morning.
No injuries have been reported, and no structures have been lost as of 8 p.m.
Residents on Madrone Flyway are in “GO” status for evacuation. Madrone is a block north of Lagrima, which the Valencia County Fire Chief said is also under evacuation.
First responders warn that further evacuations could be ordered overnight. Information on evacuations will first be posted on social media for Valencia County and Rio Communities.
Galloping Goat Pumpkin Patch reports it had to evacuate over 200 goats they had in the area.
Power cut off to some homes
PNM had to cut distribution lines that were affected by fire. There are approximately 265 homes without power.
If you do not have power and need to plug in medical equipment or a cooling station please go to the Belen Recreation Center.
Update from fire crews
Tuesday outlook
According to Chief Meteorologist Eddie Garcia, light and variable winds in the area will turn more northwesterly Tuesday afternoon, staying at around 7-10 mph. A stray gust of 10 to 15 mph isn’t out of the question late in the afternoon.
Light northerly winds arrive Tuesday night and persist into Wednesday morning. Humidity will fall to 10% this afternoon, alongside high temperatures near 90 degrees.
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