Wallow Fire threatens power supplies in N.M.

From the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - by Susan Montoya Bryan and Bob Christie - A raging forest fire in eastern Arizona that already forced thousands from their homes headed for a pair of transmission lines that supply electricity to hundreds of thousands of people as far east as Texas. The 607-square-mile blaze is expected to reach the power lines as early as Friday. If the lines are damaged, parts of New Mexico and Texas could face rolling blackouts. The blaze has blackened about 389,000 acres and destroyed 11 buildings, primarily in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. No serious injuries have been reported. Firefighters have been concerned that high afternoon winds could carry embers that can cause new, smaller spot fires. Firefighters had spent the past two days trying to create a line where they could defend the towns. They used bulldozers to scrape off vegetation and hand crews to remove other fuels. The fire prompted Texas-based El Paso Electric to issue warnings of possible power interruptions for its customers in Southern New Mexico and West Texas. The company uses two high-voltage lines to bring electricity from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix to the two states. Losing the lines would cut off about 40 percent of the utility's supply, possibly triggering the rolling blackouts among its 372,000 customers. The blaze, burning in mainly ponderosa pine forest, was sparked May 29 by what authorities believe was an unattended campfire. It has cast smoke as far east as Iowa and forced some planes to divert from Albuquerque, some 200 miles away. Read more

Wallow Fire threatens power supplies in N.M.