Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Fire chiefs promote caution during dry, windy season

In a time of year where the risk of fire is increased due to dry, windy conditions, local fire chiefs cautioned prevention to avoid a worst case scenario.

Spring is known as "fire season" due to high winds and an abundance of dry debris, which Portales Fire Department Chief Gary Nuckols referred to as fuel.

"We definitely have plenty of vegetation that we grew during the last growing season, so we have plenty of fuel out there to burn. With the combination of temperatures, winds, and low humidity, that always increases the risk for wildland fires," he said.

Grass fires are common during this time of year, five or six of which Nuckols estimated his department had already responded to in 2017.

Clovis Fire Department Chief Michael Nolen added that a large amount of fuel now exists after a wet year in 2016.

To prevent fires, Nolen said residents can avoid engaging in any behavior that is unnecessarily risky.

"Please, please don't be throwing cigarettes out of car windows. That has been very bad this year. Please just be very mindful, not only of the cigarettes, but of any open burning in the county. That's caused us a lot of problems. I know there have even been some aerial fireworks being shot around the county," he said.

He also acknowledged one of the largest potential fire starters, tumbleweeds, and urged residents not to let them accumulate, especially in their residences.

"The tumbleweeds that have blown in are a very heavy fire load, and are ignitable very quickly. Of course, all of these tumbleweeds are against structures and such. I know there's no end to the tumbleweeds, but they really need to keep their places cleared from them due to the fire hazard from that," he said. Knowledge of hazardous conditions and plenty of preparation is vital for anyone planning a controlled burn, according to Nuckols.

"Watch your weather forecast," Nuckols said. "Know what the wind's gonna do on that particular day and what the temperatures are, and obviously, never leave a controlled burn unattended. Have a water source, some hand tools, some things that you could put a small fire out with."