ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque fire officials say they’ve contained a bosque fire to roughly 30 acres after it broke out Wednesday night near Coors and Montaño. Thursday morning, city officials announced the burned area and surrounding bosque land will remain off-limits to the public until further notice.
That closure is likely to remain in effect through the entirety of the Memorial Day weekend. Thursday morning, Albuquerque Fire Rescue crews said the closure will help ensure the safety of fire crews that continue working on mop-up operations in the area, but also the general public. Over the next several days, fire officials are expected to make their way through the burned areas and address any hazards.
Witnesses reported seeing the fire burning as far east as the Paseo del Bosque bike trail, just north of Candelaria and the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park. Large cottonwood trees and other vegetation burned in the fire.
The bosque fire led to brief evacuations for some neighborhoods south of Moñtano, north of Candelaria, east of the river and west of Rio Grande Boulevard Wednesday night. Those evacuations were lifted at 9:17 p.m. Wednesday, roughly a half-hour after the order was issued.
Explaining the brief evacuations Thursday, fire officials say the notification went out in error after a miscommunication between the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, emergency managers, and city and county fire officials. Fire officials explained the error Thursday as a misinterpretation of evacuating residents by Rio Grande Boulevard roadway, as opposed to the Rio Grande river itself.
No structures were lost in the fire. Crews are expected to continue mop-up operations through Thursday.
