La Mesa Fire
Encyclopedia
The La Mesa Fire was a wildfire
on the Pajarito Plateau
of New Mexico
, USA
, that was human-caused on the afternoon of June 16, 1977. Before it was contained one week later, the fire burned 15,444 acres (62.5 km²) of Bandelier National Monument
and part of Los Alamos National Laboratory
, where it reached K-site and S-site, two facilities used to fabricate and test chemical explosives
. Resources deployed to contain the fire included 800 firefighters from surrounding states. One human life was lost when a firefighter suffered a massive heart attack while fleeing the first major blowup of the La Mesa Fire. A monument near the entrance to Bandelier National Monument honors his memory. A group of 27 high-school students were rescued after becoming trapped in the back country of Bandelier National Monument. The La Mesa fire burned around 60% of the drainage basin
of Rito de Los Frijoles, a tributary of the Rio Grande
, and increased awareness of the contribution of wildfire to severe erosion
. The La Mesa fire was significant for stimulating scientific study of the effects of fire on ecosystems.
La Mesa Fire is one of several major wildfires in the recent history of the Pajarito Plateau:
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
on the Pajarito Plateau
Pajarito Plateau
The Pajarito Plateau is a volcanic plateau in north central New Mexico, United States. The plateau, part of the Jemez Mountains, is bounded on the west by the Valles Caldera and on the east by the White Rock Canyon of the Rio Grande...
of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, that was human-caused on the afternoon of June 16, 1977. Before it was contained one week later, the fire burned 15,444 acres (62.5 km²) of Bandelier National Monument
Bandelier National Monument
Bandelier National Monument is a National Monument preserving the homes of the Ancestral Pueblo People. It is named after Swiss anthropologist Adolph Bandelier, who researched the cultures of the area. Bandelier was designated a National Monument on February 11, 1916, and most of its backcountry...
and part of Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
, where it reached K-site and S-site, two facilities used to fabricate and test chemical explosives
Explosive material
An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
. Resources deployed to contain the fire included 800 firefighters from surrounding states. One human life was lost when a firefighter suffered a massive heart attack while fleeing the first major blowup of the La Mesa Fire. A monument near the entrance to Bandelier National Monument honors his memory. A group of 27 high-school students were rescued after becoming trapped in the back country of Bandelier National Monument. The La Mesa fire burned around 60% of the drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of Rito de Los Frijoles, a tributary of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, and increased awareness of the contribution of wildfire to severe erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
. The La Mesa fire was significant for stimulating scientific study of the effects of fire on ecosystems.
La Mesa Fire is one of several major wildfires in the recent history of the Pajarito Plateau:
- 1954 Water Canyon FireWater Canyon FireThe Water Canyon Fire of 1954 was a wildfire in the eastern edge of the Jemez Mountains and the Santa Fe National Forest which burned approximately 3,000 to 6,000 acres . The fire started on June 5, 1954 when the burning of trash and construction debris in upper Water Canyon got out of control...
- 1977 La Mesa Fire
- 1996 Dome FireDome FireThe Dome Fire was a destructive wildfire in the Jemez Mountains in the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Devastating portions of the Santa Fe National Forest and Bandelier National Monument, the fire exploded on April 26, 1996, starting from an improperly extinguished campfire and...
- 1998 Oso Complex FireOso Complex FireThe Oso Complex Fire started June 20, 1998 and burned 5,185 acres in the Santa Fe National Forest in the Jemez Mountains, including more than 1,200 acres of Santa Clara Pueblo land. The fire came within 8 miles of Los Alamos, New Mexico and was contained by July 6, 1998, aided by rain...
- 2000 Cerro Grande FireCerro Grande FireThe Cerro Grande Fire was a disastrous forest fire in New Mexico, United States of America that occurred in May 2000. The fire started as a controlled burn, and became uncontrolled owing to high winds and drought conditions. Over 400 families in the town of Los Alamos, New Mexico lost their homes...
See also
- White Rock, New MexicoWhite Rock, New MexicoWhite Rock is a census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 6,045 at the 2000 census. It is largely a bedroom community for employees of Los Alamos National Laboratory and their families...
- Los Alamos, New MexicoLos Alamos, New MexicoLos Alamos is a townsite and census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States, built upon four mesas of the Pajarito Plateau and the adjoining White Rock Canyon. The population of the CDP was 12,019 at the 2010 Census. The townsite or "the hill" is one part of town while...
- Los Alamos County, New MexicoLos Alamos County, New Mexico-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*87.8% White*0.6% Black*0.8% Native American*6.0% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.6% Two or more races*2.2% Other races*14.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
- Rio GrandeRio GrandeThe Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...