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42 N.M. firefighters to battle California blazes
Denis Poroy/Associated Press
A helicopter from the California Department of Forestry drops water over the Del Dios neighborhood in Escondido, Calif., as flames rage. Helicopters and airplanes fighting the Southern California wildfires have been hampered by fierce winds. At times wind gusts have reached 100 mph. The winds were expected to begin tapering off later today.
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Smoky skies from Jemez fires
Albuquerque residents woke to the smell of smoke, but it was from the Jemez, not from California.
The U.S. Forest Service is conducting prescribed burns in several areas of northern New Mexico this month, including near Jemez Springs, Los Alamos and Cochiti Lake.
Light, northerly winds have brought the smoke down the Rio Grande Valley, and a mild inversion has prevented it from dispersing, Todd Shoemake, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Albuquerque, said.
Expect similar conditions Thursday, he said, although the Forest Service said the burns scheduled today should produce less smoke.
David Downey will have one distinct advantage when he gets to California with a team of 41 other New Mexico firefighters tonight.
He knows the terrain.
New Mexico is sending two full fire teams, along with 10 firetrucks, to provide assistance in the massive battle in Southern California for the next two weeks.
Firefighters from all over the state are on their way.
For Downey, it will be going home. He grew up in Cypress, Calif., in Orange County - an area now surrounded by fire.
"Some of the towns I know pretty well," said the 39-year-old commander with the Albuquerque Fire Department. "Like when they talk about the San Diego Wild Animal Park, I know that well - I know the area very well."
Downey still has family in Lake Arrowhead and San Diego County. His relatives in Lake Arrowhead were evacuated, he said.
And the winds that have been stirring up so much trouble - that's something he's all too familiar with, as well.
"The hottest part of the year was always September, and the winds would always kick up in October, and it was worrisome," Downey said. "You heard about it every year, when those Santa Ana winds come in - everybody knows."
Since the fires roared to life Sunday, all Downey, his wife and three sons have been able to do is watch the disaster unfold on TV, he said.
When he and the other firefighters arrive in Southern California, he won't have time to see relatives, but at least he'll feel like he's doing something to help.
"It's going to be hard, dangerous work and tiring work," Downey said. "I'm wondering if we're going to be relieving the crews that have been working so hard from California or if we'll be assigned to new areas."
Brian Fox, another Albuquerque firefighter going with Downey, said it will be a grueling two weeks - if their deployment lasts the full duration.
"It's usually go-go-go," Fox said. "We have a 16-hour operational period, then go back to camp - eat, sleep for about six hours, and then we're out again."
The state is sending two 21-member strike teams and 10 fire engines to Southern California, said Carrie Moritomo, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico Office of Homeland Security, which organized the effort.
Members from Albuquerque, San Juan County, Farmington, Angel Fire, Raton, Rio Rancho, Bernalillo County and Los Ranchos de Albuquerque trickled into a Duke City operations center overnight and into this morning. They were scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. today and be in California for up to 14 days, Moritomo said.
The sheer volume of fires and the large number of evacuees will be much more than any fire situation he's dealt with before, said Downey, who's lived in New Mexico and worked as a firefighter for the past 15 years.
"I was a day in Los Alamos (during the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000), but this is far greater than that," Downey said.
For him, the hardest part will be spending time away from his sons, who are 9, 6 and 9 months old.
"My boys aren't very excited about it," Downey said. "They've seen me leave before, but not for this long for this reason."
Still, it's important to lend a hand and help - especially when the situation hits so close to home, Downey said.
"You get opportunities like this to serve the local community, and when it's a national problem, it's nice to lend a hand," he said.
