As many as 11 separate grass fires burned south of Raton on Friday, February 28, scorching some 250 acres and utilizing the resources of five fire departments in northern New Mexico before they were extinguished.
The first fires were reported after 3 p.m. and all were on the west side of I-25 near the roadway, prompting officials to surmise a truck was possibly dragging a chain and throwing sparks into the dry grass. Raton Fire Chief Chris Espinoza, said in addition to Raton Fire, Colfax County Rapid Response, Maxwell, Philmont and Miami Fire Departments were all at the various scenes until extinguished. No injuries were reported, but some power poles near the Tinaja Rest area (MM 435) were scorched and the rest areas themselves remained closed as of Monday afternoon. The southern most fire was extinguished near Levy and MM 392.
The blazes produced a large volume of smoke. Plumes drifted over the Interstate at times, reducing visibility and the smell of smoke could be detected as far north as Raton.
Chief Espinosa reminded people that conditions are very, very dry throughout the area and the public should continue to be extremely careful with flames or sparks of any sort.
KRTN Radio reports only .30 of precipitation for the first two months of 2020, which is far below normal.
