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| FIRESTORM | |
 May 11, 2000  |
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A National Park Service fire lit to clear dead underbrush is burning out of control and has destroyed over a hundred homes in Los Alamos, NM. After a background report, three officials discuss the situation.
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MAN: It's pretty scary -- probably the biggest thing to happen in this town. KWAME HOLMAN: The National Park Service deliberately set the fire a week ago as a so-called "prescribed burn" designed to clear brush and prevent catastrophic wildfires. But stoked by wind and low humidity, the flames quickly flared out of control, spreading over 18,000 acres. |
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| National laboratory safe | ||||||||||||||||||||
 The
blaze passed through part of the Energy Department's Los Alamos National
Laboratory yesterday, but this afternoon, officials said it posed no threat
to nuclear and other weapons stored in underground bunkers and fortified
buildings.
BILL RICHARDSON, Secretary of Energy: We believe that our extensive
nuclear materials throughout the complex are safe. They are located
in many fire resistant buildings, and we believe that the public should
not be concerned JOHN BROWN, Los Alamos Laboratory Director: What might be referred to is that we do store high explosives in concrete bunkers, the fire did burn through that area, and we did just what we wanted to do. We left those high explosives in those bunkers, the fire blew straight through; it charred the area, but did not harm those bunkers. So everything is safe with respect to the high explosives. |
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| High winds hinder firefighters | ||||||||||||||||||||
| KWAME HOLMAN: As today's high winds came in, firefighters
were prevented from challenging the blaze directly. Water-bombing helicopters
and airplanes saw only limited duty.
FIREFIGHTER: Engine one is on their way.
SEN. PETE DOMENICI, (R) New Mexico: Somebody made a mistake and obviously we have to begin an investigation as to how it started and did somebody do something that should not have been considering the dry condition, the drought, and the winds, et cetera. KWAME HOLMAN: In addition to this blaze, New Mexico officials are contending with at least two other wild fires elsewhere in the state. |
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KWAME
HOLMAN: Firefighters say they were making progress toward containing
the fires in and around Los Alamos, NM, until hot, dry winds of up to
60 miles-per-hour aided the flames today. So far, some 400 homes have
been destroyed. Thousands have been evacuated from the North Central
area of New Mexico that includes Los Alamos and White Rock. Today, some
10,000 more residents were urged to leave Espanola to the North. 
about
that. We have an excellent security force. We also at this time are
conducting some radiological tests. We do not believe at this time there
has been any radiological releases, but at this moment we are conducting
tests to see if there is any plutonium or beryllium. We believe again
that there have been no radiological leakages. 
KWAME
HOLMAN: Some fire crews did manage to protect homes along the edges
of the fire's path. Today, New Mexico's senior Senator, Republican Pete
Domenici, vowed to find out why Park Service officials set the fire
last week in spite of an unfavorable weather forecast.