News and Articles
06/29/2011
Las Conchas Wildfire Update June 29, 2011 at 8:16 p.m.
Los Alamos Fire Chief: Preventive Burns Were Successful
LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico June 29, 2011 – Los Alamos County Fire Chief Doug Tucker said Wednesday that preventive burns just outside the western boundary of Los Alamos National Laboratory have been successful.
“In my professional opinion, there is a less than 10% chance of spot fires on Lab property this evening, diminishing tomorrow,” Tucker said during a briefing to emergency managers.
Firefighters began setting “back burns” on the west side of New Mexico State Route 501 around mid-morning. Those operations were declared complete by evening. The burns were intended to remove available fuel from the Las Conchas Fire, which has consumed more than 60,000 acres on two sides of the 37-square-mile LANL site but only one acre of the Lab itself.
“What I witnessed today was an incredibly professional job by men and women who are risking their lives to save our community and this Laboratory,” said LANL Director Charles McMillan. “I could feel the heat of the fire on my face as I watched from the roof of our Emergency Operations Center.”
The Laboratory has posted video of the preventive burn to a new YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETd8OCXVvkM.
No wild fires are currently burning on Lab property. All of the Laboratory’s nuclear and hazardous materials, including its waste and environmental remediation sites, are safe, accounted for, and protected.
Earlier Wednesday, LANL announced it would remain closed through Friday, July 1.
Laboratory employees seeking further information about the Las Conchas fire should check local news sources, Los Alamos County Emergency Radio on AM 1610, the LANL Update Hotline (505-667-6622) and the LANL web page (www.lanl.gov) for updates.
The Laboratory has posted a number of pictures to its Flickr photo site including images of the deployed AIRNET units. http://www.flickr.com/photos/losalamosnatlab/
LANL Announces Closure for Friday, July 1
LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico June 29, 2011 – Los Alamos National Laboratory this afternoon announced it will remain closed through Friday, July 1 because of risks presented by the Las Conchas Fire and the mandatory evacuation of Los Alamos town site.
Laboratory facilities will be closed for all activities and nonessential employees are directed to remain off site. Personnel are considered nonessential unless they have received specific instructions from their supervisors to report to the Laboratory.
Employees should check local news sources, Los Alamos County Emergency Radio on AM 1610, the LANL Update Hotline (505-667-6622) and the LANL web page (www.lanl.gov) for updates.
The Laboratory has posted a number of pictures to its Flickr photo site, http://www.flickr.com/photos/losalamosnatlab/
A Joint Information Center has been established at the Regional Development Corporation, 2209 Miguel Chavez Rd. in Santa Fe. Media should call 505-820-1226 for updatesand monitor www.nmfireinfo.comfor official fire updates.
No Wildfire on Laboratory Property; Active Air Monitoring Underway
First High-Volume Air Samples Come in ‘Clean’
LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico June 28, 2011 – Despite no wildfire currently on Los Alamos Laboratory property, the Laboratory has established a network of seven high-volume air samplers along the southern, northern and eastern boundaries of Laboratory property to verify that hazardous materials are not leaving the Laboratory in smoke from the fire. Preliminary results of air samples taken at Los Alamos National Laboratory boundaries show no radioactive materials from Laboratory operations or legacy waste in smoke from the Las Conchas fire.
“There are no wildfires burning on Lab property and our nuclear and hazardous materials are accounted for and protected,” said Laboratory Director Charles McMillan. “As scientists we need data to ensure that our employees and regional neighbors are not affected by our operations. Preliminary air sampling results confirm this.”
The high-volume air sample filters are being split with one half of each filter being analyzed on site for a quick turnaround of results and the other half being sent to an offsite, independent laboratory for analysis and corroboration of the preliminary results.
In addition to the high-volume samplers, the Laboratory has sixty AIRNET (http://www.lanl.gov/environment/air/airnet/description.shtml) sampling stations near Los Alamos, White Rock, on Laboratory property, and in the region. A subset of these stations is in place to ensure compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s airborne dose limit for the public. The AIRNET samples will help verify the high-volume sampling results.
The preliminary data shows no levels of radioactive materials in concentrations higher than that seen in smoke elsewhere in the region. Director McMillan on Tuesday pledged to make air-sampling data available to the public as soon as possible. Routine updates to the New Mexico Community Foundation’s RACER environmental monitoring website will reflect these data and other information at http://racernm.com.
“New Mexicans should know that there are no radioactive materials from the Laboratory in the smoke,” McMillan said. “As with any smoke, however, we urge our employees and regional residents, particularly those with health conditions such as asthma, to minimize their exposure.”
Laboratory employees seeking further information about the Las Conchas fire should check local news sources, Los Alamos County Emergency Radio on AM 1610, the LANL Update Hotline (505-667-6622) and the LANL web page (www.lanl.gov) for updates.
The Laboratory has posted a number of pictures to its Flickr photo site including images of the deployed AIRNET units. http://www.flickr.com/photos/losalamosnatlab/
A Joint Information Center has been established at the Regional Development Corporation, 2209 Miguel Chavez Rd. in Santa Fe. Media should call 505-820-1226 for updatesand monitor www.nmfireinfo.comfor official fire updates.
Pre-Burns to Occur on LANL Western Boundary
LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico June 29, 2011 at 10:54 a.m. – Fire crews on Wednesday morning will begin a series of targeted, preventative burns along the western edge of Los Alamos National Laboratory in an effort to further remove available fuels from the Las Conchas Fire.
Observers may notice increased smoke coming from the LANL border. At this time there is no wildfire on Laboratory property.
Laboratory facilities will be closed for all activities and nonessential employees are directed to remain off site. Personnel are considered nonessential unless they have received specific instructions from their supervisors to report to the Laboratory.
Employees should check local news sources, Los Alamos County Emergency Radio on AM 1610, the LANL Update Hotline (505-667-6622) and the LANL web page (www.lanl.gov) for updates.
The Laboratory has posted a number of pictures to its Flickr photo site, http://www.flickr.com/photos/losalamosnatlab/
A Joint Information Center has been established at the Regional Development Corporation, 2209 Miguel Chavez Rd. in Santa Fe. Media should call 505-820-1226 for updatesand monitor www.nmfireinfo.comfor official fire updates.