Crews gain ground fighting Track Fire
RATON, N.M. — The Track Fire has turned pristine mountainsides in Colorado and New Mexico into swaths of blackened timber and ash, but Wednesday fire crews made progress in extinguishing the blaze as it pushed through hills with the help of stiff winds and dry conditions.
Some relief from the fire came late Wednesday night when fire officials scheduled the reopening of Interstate 25 at 4 a.m. today.
Authorities on Wednesday evening said the fire had burned about 25,620 acres of steep and rugged terrain in Colorado and New Mexico. About 6,558 acres have burned in Colorado southeast of Trinidad.
Though the massive fire burning north of town was officially 20 percent contained, the blaze still gave 698 firefighters working the front lines a good fight. Winds are forecasted to pick up today.
A health advisory was issued in both states for poor air quality from the fire's billowing smoke.
Firefighters battled 20 to 25 mph gusts of wind in the afternoon
Fire officials estimate that the blaze may not be fully contained until June 27.
Diane Souder, an information officer, said that at least 14 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the fire, including eight New Mexico residences and six other buildings including one in Colorado.
Souder said the potential growth of the fire is extreme because of the difficult terrain.
"But if we have favorable weather conditions and we get enough resources with our continuing strategy of maintaining a perimeter, we hope to be successful with this fire," Souder said.
I-25's reopening signals dramatic progress in the firefighting.
Northbound and southbound lanes of I-25 were closed after the smoke and flames forced officials from both states to shut down the highway Sunday at 1:32 p.m.
The closure has made a mess for motorists who were forced to travel alternate detour routes that added about two hours to their trips.
The decision to reopen the road came after a day of New Mexico crews monitoring hot spots and shifting conditions.
At one point, the fire along I-25 reignited, forcing officials to keep it shut down, Jeff VanMatre, a Colorado Department of Transportation official, said
Mayor Neil Segotta, of Raton, said a leak in the city's main gas transmission line will not affect service to the city.
The fire damaged the line Tuesday.
"Currently we are going to have uninterrupted service because we are going to be able to repair the line without having to shut it down," Segotta said.
Ash Wednesday Bushfire - News
AP PHOTO/RICK BOWMER RATON, NM — The Track Fire has turned pristine mountainsides in Colorado and New Mexico into swaths of blackened timber and ash, but Wednesday fire crews made progress in extinguishing the blaze as it pushed through hills with the
An ash cloud from a volcano in Chile has wreaked havoc on Australian flights and prompted the country's leading airline Qantas to cancel flights to and from the nation's biggest airports on Tuesday and Wednesday. CANBERRA () - Australian
Just blocks away from the shelter Friday afternoon, Dr. John Herrod scrambled to hose down a perimeter next to his clinic as a second fire broke out near Antelope Rd. Herrod already lost his home in Ash Canyon Wednesday. He wasn't about to let fire
The volcano continued to erupt Wednesday sending ash northwestards toward Sudan. Meanwhile, the eruption of the stratovolcano has created a new landmass, according to the director general of Mines at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Mr. Alem Kibreab.
In neighboring Argentina, the winter resort of San Carlos de Bariloche and other nearby towns were clearing out from under the ash Wednesday, but the area's airport was among several airfields that remained closed. International carriers were rerouting
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The fires became the deadliest bushfire in Australian history, until the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. More. Picture: CARMELO BAZZANOCELEBRATED Mt Macedon garden Ard Rudah will showcase its autumn glory this weekend. Criminal Arson Some of the fires were suspected to have been deliberately lit by arsonists, whose action was described as “mass murder” by the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. AP / Themba Hadebe England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen leaves for England at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday Jan. The fires spread from Gippsland to Kinglake and beyond.
N. Title: Ash Wednesday: Wednesday 16th February, 1983 Publication: 1983 Citation: Impact: Official journal of the Victoria State Emergency Service Vol. February 1983. end of the dust storm report and all or most of the Melbourne heatwave report (new record of 43 degrees) from channel 10 eyewitness news. Thursday, 19 February Victoria Police increased estimate to 208 fatalities. Shelf Location: JOURNAL CITATION Author: Valent, Paul Title: The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria Publication: 1984 Citation: The Medical Journal of Australia, 1 September 1984, pp. Picture: MATT SULLIVAN EMU Plains resident Eric Easterbrook is calling on residents to help rebuild flood-ravaged areas in Victoria and Queensland. A similar thing happened in Flowerdale where local residents banded together to save the Flowerdale Hotel ). The estimated cost was around $324 million dollars.
Ash Wednesday bushfire – 1983 May 19, 2011 … Summary description of Ash Wednesday fires in Victoria, links to Ash Wednesday information on the …
Ash Wednesday – Image Gallery – The Weekly Times back. 1 of 17. next close. Ash Wednesday. Print this picture . Ash Wednesday bushfires – …
Wednesday, 4 March Cooler conditions and rain from 46 March enabled firefighters to control and contain several fires, with the Kilmore East Murrindindi complex south fire being completely contained.
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Melbourne_dust_storm_heatwave_reports__Eyewitness_News_1983 Email this video Sms this video aired on channel 10′s eyewitness news Melbourne.
Ash Wednesday Bushfire - Bookshelf
The Ash Wednesday bushfires, articles from the Medical journal of Australia].
The Ash Wednesday bushfires in South Australia, implications for planning for future post-disaster services
Ash Wednesday
Where Were You When?, 180 Unforgettable Moments in Living History
Ash Wednesday bushfires On "Ash Wednesday," February 16, 1983, more than 100 bushfires raged across Victoria and South Australia, killing 75 people. ...The Ash Wednesday supper
In this edition Gosselin and Lerner have provided a broad understanding of Bruno and his time, with background and interpretive discussion.Daily Knowledge Directory
Ash Wednesday fires - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II,[3] were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983. ...
Ash Wednesday bushfire - 1983
The bushfire danger becomes serious in some parts of Victoria every few years. ... Over 100 fires started on February 16 1983, a day known as Ash Wednesday. ...
Ash wednesday bushfires
Ash wednesday bushfires ...
Victoria fires, Australia bushfires | Fires worse than Ash ...
Worse than Ash Wednesday. That is the grim sum of a catastrophe that ... 9 Feb The death toll in the Victorian bushfires has risen to 130, the Department of ...
Ash Wednesday Bushfires - Fun Facts, Questions, Answers ...
Approximately how many separate fires started on Ash Wednesday? ... How many fire fighters attended to the Ash Wednesday bushfires? 16,000. These included park and forest fire ...