New Mexico battles wildfires during Memorial Day weekend

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) - Memorial Day weekend kicked off with multiple fires burning across the state, with the Buzzard fire pushing smoke into the Albuquerque Metro area.

As of Saturday evening, two of those fires are more than 50% contained, while the other two are at 0%.

"It's in really steep rugged country, on the reserve ranger district, which is part of the Gila National Forest," says Marta Call with the GIla National Forest.

Call says the Buzzard Fire is still 0% contained. It's in a rugged area of the forest located in the southwest part of the state.

It has burned about 12,000 acres so far and no evacuations have been ordered.

Officials are confident they'll get it under control.

"They're creating barriers using natural roads and geographic formations to create a barrier, you know, to create a line around the fire to keep it within a certain amount of boundaries," says Call.

Then there's the Arena Canyon Fire, burning in San Juan County. It's also not contained at this point.

"Crews on the ground and from the air, have been attacking this fire since yesterday, and they're making good progress," says Wendy Mason of the New Mexico State Forestry.

Mason says the fire is west of Navajo Lake, near HWY 511.

Officials believe the blaze was caused by lightning and is now 128 acres in size.

The San Juan County Fire Chief says 15 people have been evacuated.

As for the other two fires, the 358 Fire is about 10 miles east of Durango. La Plata County, Colorado fire officials say it's now 80% contained.

The Alamo Fire near Bandelier National Monument is about 70% contained. Officials with the Santa Fe National Forest say it's scorched about 15 acres.

As crews fight flames around the state and in southern Colorado, they want campers to remember one thing this Memorial Day weekend.

"95% of wildfires are human-caused in New Mexico. So we just ask everyone take precaution and be vigilant when they're out in the forest and our grassland," says Mason.

Campfires are a major cause of fires and officials say anyone who sees an abandoned campfire should report it to local authorities immediately.

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