With luck, I may soon be able to discontinue these reports..... The one I've been calling the Los Alamos Fire is officially known as the Cerro Grande Fire so I guess I should get in step with the media <G>. It is not yet under control [they're calling it 5% contained], but yesterday the weather took a turn for the better with calmer winds and cooler temperatures. The efforts to protect Los Alamos itself apparently combined with the natural terrain to break the fire into two parts. In the town itself, only spot fires remain. One wildfire is now burning SW of the town and the other to NE of town so the command center has formed two separate teams and is treating them as separate fires. The fire as a whole has been reported as only 5% contained, but the prevailing mood is so optimistic that the Albuquerque station has replaced its continuous coverage with a crawling banner and occasional special reports. This one has burned 36,000 acres in ten days. The last feature I saw before they cut to regular programming was about the animal shelters that had been set up. The area shelters are filled to capacity and they expect the ones in Albuquerque to be full very soon. The rodeo arena in Santa Fe has been pressed into service for livestock and they are starting to use the State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque. They are now asking for volunteer foster families for cats & dogs for the next few days and help from ranchers outside of the fire zone to rescue and house threatened livestock. The Manuelitos Fire -- east of Santa Fe -- gets almost no coverage now. It's reported as 70% contained and covering only 1,300 acres, but the 500 evacuated families have not been allowed to return to their homes [no report this morning on # of dwellings lost] and the main road into the area is still closed. The Cree Fire [near Ruidoso] covered 8,600 acres and also reported as 70% contained, with full containment "possible" as early as tomorrow. Main roads appear to have been reopened and people have been allowed to return to their homes. I don't have the latest talley on homes destroyed, damaged or threatened. The southernmost fire -- roughly 20-25 miles south of Cloudcroft -- is now known as the Scott Able Fire because it started at the 4-H camp in Scott Able Canyon. Traveled five miles in four hours and by last night had cut a swath over a mile wide through more than 20 miles of forest and ranchland. They've been able to get enough ground access to use bulldozers to cut firebreaks along the trailing edge, in case the wind turns. If aerial attack has been possible, it hasn't yet been reported. I'm roughly 75 miles WSW of the fire and the winds are so high here today that I can't imagine slurry flights are possible in the mountains. This morning's report was that the fire had "stalled" and aerial photos showed its leading edge at one of the wider canyons. They didn't say which one and the video was so brief that I couldn't recognize it even though I know that part of NM fairly well. There are a number of places on the branched access roads where firefighters can build a firebreak and make a stand. They are saying that containment is possible by Tuesday. The bad news is the new one near White Oaks. This is in the Capitan Mountains, east of Carrizozo and west of Ruidoso. No details yet as to size or precise location. Little news here on the Grand Canyon Fire -- except that it was also caused by a "controlled" burn -- or the larger Coon Creek Fire in AZ. Only brief mentions of these here, although the Ft. Stockton Fire has now consumed 45,000 acres in west Texas. Hoping to retire from reporting soon.... Sharon McAllister 73372.1745@compuserve.com

As horendous as the loss of property and the loss to wildlife may be, we must keep in mind that these forrest fires are necessary. As was found out in Yellowstone and the Tall Grass Presserve several years ago, fire is how these areas replenish themselves. Without fires the forrests and the prairie grasses will die. I would just like to think that "controled burn's " would be a little better planned so that they don't get out of "control". Thank you Sharon M. for keeping us informed about whats happening. Bill Walsh