Crews contain 34-acre bosque fire in Albuquerque

Tamara Lopez | KOB

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Mayor Tim Keller announced Thursday a large bosque fire, near Coors and Montaño, was contained.

According to Albuquerque Fire Rescue Chief Gene Gallegos, crews stopped the fire’s progression around midnight.

Crews focused on mop-up efforts Thursday and will remain in the area over the coming days.

“We want to make sure that we hit this fire and get all the smoldering embers out as quickly and safely as possible today,” Gallegos said. “In saying that, again, we are going to be continually operating in this area for the next few days.”

Eastside bosque trails are now closed from Montaño NW to Campbell Road NW, including the Paseo del Bosque Trail – and westside bosque trails are closed from Montaño to Andalucia Park at La Bienvenida Place NW.

The fire burned approximately 34 acres after it reportedly started Wednesday night on the west side of the Rio Grande and jumped to the east side.

Over 100 firefighters responded with departments from Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Cochiti, Corrales – and Bernalillo, Sandoval and Valencia counties.

Evacuations were ordered around 8:53 p.m. for residents living near the fire and were lifted around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to BCSO. The Bernalillo County Fire Deparment apologized for some of the confusion on evacuation orders throughout the evening. A spokesperson said, given the chaos of the fire, multiple county departments tried to provide answers instead of channeling information through emergency communication. They will evaluate the response and look at what can be improved.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

For a look at the fire Wednesday evening from Chopper 4, click here.