Advertisement Dog Head Fire containment reaches 83 percent Dog Head Fire is human caused, fire officials say Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The Dog Head Fire, which has burned 17,912 acres, is now 83 percent contained, New Mexico State Forestry officials said.Officials released Tuesday that the fire is human caused and is currently under investigation. They said the current estimated cost of the firefighting effort is $5.7 million that covers supplies, equipment and salaries.Earlier Monday, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office established a limited plan of re-entry for residents in some of the Dog Head Fire evacuation areas.Authorities said a path of entry for residents will be established and re-entry will begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday.Sheriff's deputies and New Mexico National Guard personnel will be stationed along central entry points, checking identification to ensure that only residents are accessing those areas.The Sheriff’s Office said it is working with the New Mexico Department of Transportation to have speeds temporarily reduced along the impacted re-entry roadways.Evacuees who reside in Torrance County, and live south of La Para, will also be allowed to return to their homes at 8 a.m. Tuesday. Law enforcement personnel will be checking identification for residency verification.All evacuations will remain in place for the area north of La Para, east and west to the Torrance County line. Law enforcement will continue patrols throughout all affected areas, including the evacuation zones.The fire has destroyed 24 homes and 21 minor structures.In addition to the work being done by BCSO and Torrance County, PNM will begin working to restore power at 6 a.m. Power will be restored in phases to the 368 customers in the mandatory evacuation area, initiating in the area from State Highways 14 and 217, south towards Chilili.Any residents who remained in the area despite the mandatory evacuation order must disconnect all backup generators currently in use by 6 a.m. Tuesday.Generators in use create a severe safety hazard to the general public, firefighters and PNM crews. Residents are also being asked to make room for PNM trucks and crews working in the area. The same procedures apply for customers of Central New Mexico Power Cooperative.Multiple road closures will remain in effect, particularly in the Chilili area. Those closures are from Raquel Road in Escobosa in the north and south to the Bernalillo County line. Residents in the northeastern areas of the evacuation areas will need to return from the northeast.The National Guard was activated to help fight the fire, Gov. Susana Martinez announced.Crews will continue to patrol and hold fire line around the fire's entire perimeter. Here is the latest as of Monday:625 people are working to control the blazeCrews include local, state and federal firefightersAn estimated 40 National Guard soldiers are on the groundMartinez is urging residents to not refuse mandatory evacuation ordersFederal Emergency Management Agency funding has been approvedThere have been no reports of deaths or injuries"As we continue to move forward with our coordinated response to the Dog Head Fire, this grant will help ensure we can continue to support our local partners in covering costs associated with fighting the fire," Martinez said in a statement earlier in the day."We'll continue to do all we can in coordinating all available resources to protect New Mexicans' lives and property from this dangerous fire." Mandatory evacuations were issued for the junction of State Highways 217 and 337 southward to the Torrance County line, including the communities of Chilili, Mercid, Escobosa, Yrisarri and Ponderosa Pines. PNM disconnected power on all mandatory evacuation areas of the Dog Head Fire in the Manzano Mountains. Voluntary evacuations are from the Torrance County line South to state Highway 55 and from state Highway 337 to the West.Evacuation centers are located in Estancia at the Torrance County Fairgrounds (for people, pets and livestock) and in Tijeras at the Los Vecinos Community Center.A closure order was issued for all National Forest System land, roads and trails within the boundaries of the Sandia Ranger District south of Interstate 40.The wildfire broke out Tuesday afternoon.Winds and high humidity caused the fire to spread northeast and flames reached as high as 100 feet. Voluntary evacuations were initially recommended for Manzano Morning Drive, Aceves Road and La Parra Road."We saw the fire growing in size and moving fast towards our residential areas," Sheriff Heath White said.Crews couldn't battle the flames from the ground Tuesday because the fire was moving too fast, U.S. Forest Service officials said. They attempted to fight the blaze from the air and box it in.The U.S. Forest Service officials said Tuesday night they received their first advantage in the firefight when the sun went down and the humidity went up. That gave some crews the chance to get closer and battle the fire.Firefighters made good progress in the fire perimeter Wednesday, but due to strong winds, the fire made a significant push to the northeast.Wednesday night, there was extreme fire behavior until 1 a.m. The fire pushed 10-12 miles in a northeast direction near the community of Chilili. Structures have been lost in that area.Martinez declared a state of emergency Wednesday and put the National Guard on standby.Martinez also directed state agencies to assist local authorities in affected areas and enabled the activation of New Mexico's Emergency Operations Center for further assistance.Fire officials urged residents of the Chilili area to evacuate due to the fire spreading fast. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems are encouraged to take precautionary measures.