Major Brush Fire - 03/24/12 - Farmington, NM

On March 24th, 2012, while returning from an EMS response, firefighters from Farmington Fire Department’s Engine Company #4 spotted a growing column of smoke coming from the area of the intersection of Camino Flora and Camino Rio. At 12:24 hours Engine #4 Captain Ryan Hagg quickly requested additional brush units for a rapidly growing wildland fire. While responding, Battalion Chief Jay Balfour bumped up the assignment to include two additional FFD engine companies and water tenders from the San Juan County Fire Department. Battalion Chief Balfour split the incident into two divisions, with Farmington units providing structural protection and fire suppression along the rear of the homes along Camino Rio. San Juan County Fire units were assigned to stop the forward progression of the fire to the east of the subdivision in the San Juan River Valley. These actions resulted in the fire being contained in approximately 60 minutes. The fire was held to around 5 acres and units operated well into the late afternoon moping up hot spots. FFD Engine Companies #4, #1, #6, Brush Units #1 and #6, as well as San Juan County Fire Districts #6 (Lee Acres), District #8 (Hart Valley), and District #14 (Ojo Amarillo) operated at the scene.