Crews extinguish landfill fire in Rio Rancho

RIO RANCHO, N.M. — Rio Rancho and Sandoval County fire crews responded to a fire at a city landfill Tuesday.

Officials say the first call came in around 6:30 p.m Tuesday. The fire was at the Waste Management landfill near Idalia and Broadmoor Boulevard in Rio Rancho.

Fire officials say the active threat is over now. They estimate the fire only burned about an acre, but there are still some concerns for overnight.

A spokesperson with the Rio Rancho Fire Department expects crews will be on scene until Wednesday morning.

“In these particular instances, it could be anything from somebody accidentally threw away some smoldering material, to wet grass that spontaneously combusted to a shiny metal object which reflected in the summer sun and constantly and also on fire. So it’s, it’s almost impossible in our experience to identify what caused it,” said Ryan Floersheim, a RRFD spokesperson. 

He says it’s always important to be mindful about what you throw in the trash. During these hot summer months, it doesn’t take much to spark a fire.