By Rodd Cayton, The Paper.
State and local governments are sharing the goal of keeping New Mexico from burning up. This week, the Village of Corrales and Bernalillo County approved new restrictions aimed at fire prevention.
The Bernalillo County Commission voted to ban all open burning in the unincorporated areas of the county.
“One small spark could be devastating, especially in the heavily forested rural East Mountains and the Foothills of Albuquerque in my district,” District 5 Commissioner Eric Olivas said. “In order to protect our community, we have to take this ban seriously and act now before conditions worsen.”
Under the administrative resolution, all open burning, including campfires and vegetation fires, is prohibited. Smoking is only allowed inside enclosed buildings or in vehicles with ashtrays.
The Corrales Village Council authorized a declaration of severe drought conditions within the village, effectively banning the sale and use of all fireworks within village boundaries.
Those actions came the week after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared drought and severe fire conditions statewide. Her executive order urges New Mexico counties, municipalities and other governments to implement firework bans and water conservation measures. The order also directs the New Mexico Drought Task Force to ensure communities receive available information and resources to prepare for and respond to drought conditions, and to conserve the state’s existing water supplies.
State Forester Laura McCarthy last month placed sweeping restrictions on fire activity, citing persistent dry and warm conditions across New Mexico, citing low humidity, high winds and abundant dry fuels, which she said make for a high wildfire danger level that poses a threat to public safety, life, property and natural resources.
Sandoval County follows the state restrictions, Spokesperson Shawn Perry-Turner said Friday. That means smoking, fireworks, campfires, prescribed burns and oil-and-gas flaring on non-federal, non-tribal and non-municipal lands are prohibited indefinitely.
An operational permit is required for the kindling or maintaining of a recreational fire or bonfire in Albuquerque. Anyone interested in requesting a permit may do so by calling the Fire Marshal’s Office at 505-764-6300. Those activities are only permitted on burn days; information on burn days is available at 505-768-2876 for the city and at 505-468-7200 for Bernalillo County.
Valencia and Santa Fe counties have also halted burn permits.