Romero Fire burns 288 acres

CORRALES, N.M. (KRQE) - The fire burning near the Bosque in Corrales has already torched 288 acres as of Thursday morning.

The Romero Fire started around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday quickly spreading to both sides of the Rio Grande.

Firefighters worked through the night on both sides of the river to keep the flames from spreading but Thursday morning crews are worried winds could cause the blaze to flare up again, dampening the progress crews made Wednesday.

The blaze burning on the Westside of Corrales is 70% contained, and are keeping a close eye on the east side.

They say the east is 80 percent contained but there is not a lot of active flames.

The fire started near Romero Road in the Northern part of the Village near where Corralles Road starts turning towards Rio Rancho. It quickly jumped the river east over to the Pueblo.

Single engine tankers worked to put the fire out before the sun went down.

The gusty winds Thursday morning will be slowly dying down throughout the day.

"The big thing were watching out for is some flare ups of un burred pockets especially along the river edge there that could potentially throw spots across the river,” Lann Moore said.

On the westside of the river near Corrales, crews have made a containment line, and are on the lookout for embers flying through the air.

Thirty to 40 structures are threatened, but not in immediate danger.

No homes have burned.

Officials believe that the fire was human caused, although they have not ruled on a cause just yet.
 

• No evacuation orders at this time - However, some roads in the area remain close where the fire is active so some areas may not be accessible due to safety reasons.
• Livestock can be taken to 413 Reclining Acres Road in Corrales, west of Loma Larga. Call Shante at 505-554-7344.
• Livestock can also be taken to the New Mexico Fair Grounds.(Livestock includes only farm type animals not domestic animals like dogs and cats) Call 505-508-9026 for more information.
• Air quality alert has been issued for Albuquerque and Corrales Railrunner has stopped service north and southbound due to the fire in Corrales.
• Railrunner officials are going to have to bus all passengers for the remainder of Wednesday evening. People stuck at Bernalillo station heading south will be bussed to Los Ranchos station and then get them on a train to their destinations.