Many Dog Head Fire evacuees will be allowed home Tuesday; fire 46 percent contained

Some residents who have been forced to evacuate their homes due to the Dog Head Fire will be allowed back to their homes beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, as crews were able to bring the fire to 46 percent containment by just after nightfall.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department made the announcement Monday evening at a community meeting in Moriarty. Officials noted that there were no lives lost or serious injuries sustained in the fire, which drew a massive applause from the crowd.

Bernalillo County residents will be allowed back in beginning Tuesday morning. People living in Torrance County south of La Para will also be able to return home starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday. A re-entry pamphlet is available here with instructions on what people should do when they return to their property, as well as emergency and other resource contact information.

Sheriff’s deputies, National Guard and state police officers will be stationed along main roads to check people’s identification as they return home.

PNM also plans to start reconnecting power to residents starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday. Anyone using a backup generator is advised to turn it off by then if possible.

368 customers in the mandatory evacuation zone have been without power since last Tuesday, when it was cut to help firefighters and avoid further sparks.

The company will start with customers near NM 14 and will work toward 217 and south toward Chilili.

The state says several road closures will remain in place Tuesday: Raquel Road from Escabosa south to the Bernalillo County line.

People in the northeastern evacuation areas will have to return from the northeast.

Officials said some looters had been caught and will be prosecuted. National Guard members remain at the scene to prevent further looting.

FIRE ESTIMATED AT NEARLY 18,000 ACRES

The Dog Head Fire in the northern Manzano Mountains was estimated at just under 18,000 acres in size Monday night as crews were able to make significant headway into containing the fire, which sat at 46 percent containment at 9:30 p.m. It was only 9 percent contained at 8 a.m.

Monday afternoon, a fire official said the fire has so far cost around $4.5 million and said it was human-caused, and did not start as a prescribed burn. Officials have not said exactly how it started, but Monday was the first word that it was definitely human-caused.

New Mexico Gov. Martinez toured areas behind fire lines that burned last week, including several properties, Monday afternoon. She also announced she has requested the Federal Emergency Management Agency to perform damage assessments to the affected communities in order to determine if any extra assistance will be needed.

Both the money estimate and the additional FEMA requests come on the heels of state of emergency declarations both by the state and Bernalillo County, which will free up federal and local funds to help fight the fire. The state of emergency declaration by the state means federal funds will cover 75 percent of costs associated with helping fight the fire.

“Even as our state, local, and federal partners continue to move forward with our coordinated response around the clock to protect lives and property, it’s important for us to begin preparing for the aftermath as well, and this request is part of that process,” the governor said in a news release. “We will continue to look for all available resources at our disposal to assist the communities affected by the Dog Head Fire.”

The fire’s growth stagnated Sunday, when it grew only about 300 acres – a vast improvement over the days before, when it exploded thousands of acres due to low humidity levels and high heat.

Fire officials say the 995 crew members working the fire will work Tuesday to maintain its perimeter and continue mop-up efforts.

Higher humidity levels helped slow growth Sunday, but drier air could make hot spots more active Monday, officials said.

As the wind blows in from the southeast Monday, the east side is expected to be the most active side of the fire once again Monday. But the wind could switch to blow in from the east later in the day, which could threaten lines on the western side of the fire.

The New Mexico Department of Health said Monday it expects smoke from the fire to be less severe in coming days.

An updated map of hot spots and the perimeter of the fire as of early Monday can be seen below. If you’re on a mobile device, click here to view.

Twenty-four homes and 21 structures have burned in the fire so far, though none have burned since late last week.

Officials say the main focus for crews at this point is still suppressing the fire. It currently sits at 17,891 acres.

Expo New Mexico said Monday morning it was hosting more than 50 animals at the state fairgrounds, which started accepting animals needing shelter from the fire late last week.

An Albuquerque woman who spent much of her life in Chilili has made shirts emblazoned with the community’s name and satellite coordinates. She is selling them for $30, $20 of which will go to the Los Vecinos shelter and the families staying there. There are also similar shirts for Escabosa and the Chilili Hotshots. Click here to see and buy the shirts.

Resources for evacuees and those wanting to help can be found below: