Middle Mesa Fire that threatened oil and gas wells nears containment
A wildfire in Northern New Mexico near the Colorado border is almost completely contained, and the officials in charge of the fire reported this week that all oil and gas wells in the roughly 5,000-acre wildfire perimeter have been turned back on.
The Middle Mesa Fire, which lightning ignited Aug. 1, burned through an area of the Carson National Forest, coming within a mile of the Colorado border. By Aug. 8, the blaze threatened 45 oil wells, according to internal incident reports, including 34 with associated infrastructure.
Crews turned all of them off while firefighters fought the blaze and none were destroyed, according to Earl Hidayetoglu, a spokesperson for Carson National Forest. '
'Those were switched back on last week,' Hidayetoglu told Source on Monday regarding the wells. 'And no infrastructure was damaged.'
The blaze is now 92% contained. As a result, a lower-capacity management team took control of the fire, with members undertaking repair and soil stabilization work, according to the latest update.
Another team will soon do burned-area analysis, as well, to analyze areas of high flood and erosion risk due to high wildfire intensity, according to the latest update.
A peak of more than 470 personnel from across the country was assigned to the blaze on Aug. 11. According to official estimates from the National Interagency Fire Center, fighting the fire is expected to cost taxpayers at least $10.5 million.
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Middle Mesa Fire that threatened oil and gas wells nears containment
An oil derrick stands in front of a smoke plume from the Middle Mesa Fire on Aug. 2. While the blaze threatened dozens of oil and gas wells, none were damaged, and all have since been turned on, according to a Forest Service spokesperson. (Photo courtesy Carson National Forest) A wildfire in Northern New Mexico near the Colorado border is almost completely contained, and the officials in charge of the fire reported this week that all oil and gas wells in the roughly 5,000-acre wildfire perimeter have been turned back on. The Middle Mesa Fire, which lightning ignited Aug. 1, burned through an area of the Carson National Forest, coming within a mile of the Colorado border. By Aug. 8, the blaze threatened 45 oil wells, according to internal incident reports, including 34 with associated infrastructure. Crews turned all of them off while firefighters fought the blaze and none were destroyed, according to Earl Hidayetoglu, a spokesperson for Carson National Forest. ' 'Those were switched back on last week,' Hidayetoglu told Source on Monday regarding the wells. 'And no infrastructure was damaged.' The blaze is now 92% contained. As a result, a lower-capacity management team took control of the fire, with members undertaking repair and soil stabilization work, according to the latest update. Another team will soon do burned-area analysis, as well, to analyze areas of high flood and erosion risk due to high wildfire intensity, according to the latest update. A peak of more than 470 personnel from across the country was assigned to the blaze on Aug. 11. According to official estimates from the National Interagency Fire Center, fighting the fire is expected to cost taxpayers at least $10.5 million. Solve the daily Crossword
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