PRESS RELEASE – New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez Declares State of Emergency in Response to Dog Head Wildfire
Santa Fe, NM — Today, June 15, Governor Susana Martinez declared a state of emergency in response to the Dog Head Wildfire affecting portions of Bernalillo and Torrance Counties. The Governor has also directed state agencies to offer all available resources to assist local authorities in the affected areas.
“Our first priority is the health and safety of New Mexicans in the affected areas and communities,” Martinez said. “I’ve directed our state agencies to offer all available resources to assist our local partners in responding to the fire, and we’ll continue to coordinate with the emergency response team to monitor the fire. Property can be replaced, but lives cannot – as our coordinated response to the fire continues, I ask New Mexicans to be mindful of this, and to not take unnecessary risks.”
The Governor’s declaration of a state of emergency will enable counties to order and pay for additional resources needed to help with this emergency. Earlier today, the Governor also ordered the activation of New Mexico’s Emergency Operations Center to assist in the coordinated response to the fire.
State agencies such as the N.M. State Police, the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, NM State Forestry, and others are assisting with the response to the fire. The Governor has also directed the NM National Guard to be prepared to assist with the response if needed.
The Dog Head Wildfire is affecting areas of Bernalillo and Torrance Counties, and has burned approximately 2,000 acres so far. State and local authorities will continue to monitor and respond to the fire through a coordinated effort as the situation develops.
IncWeb, Incident Information Overview for June 15, Wednesday, http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4784/
Crews monitored the Dog Head Fire throughout the night. Cooler temperatures helped to minimize fire growth. An infrared flight conducted at 2:45 AM allowed fire managers to obtain a more accurate measure of the fire’s size. The Dog Head Fire is 682 acres with no reported containment.
Two (20 person) Hot Shot crews are on site, and two more are expected to arrive this morning. Other resources include 4 helicopters, 2 lead planes, 1 air attack, 6 single engine air tankers, and 6 air tankers.
