LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – Fire officials say the wildlife burning in the Santa Fe National Forest southwest of Los Alamos has grown to 68 square miles.
The blazed had moved to within a mile of Los Alamos National Laboratory overnight, but officials said Monday morning there was no fire on lab property.
The lab cut natural gas to some areas overnight as a precaution and officials say all hazardous and radioactive materials are being protected.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
A fast-moving wildfire has forced officials at the Los Alamos National Laboratory to close the site Monday as residents nearby evacuated their homes.
The fire has grown to between 6 and 9 square miles of mixed conifer and ponderosa pine and is threatening buildings, power lines and natural gas lines.
The blaze started at around 1 p.m. Sunday on private land about 12 miles southwest of the town of Los Alamos.
About 100 residents from the rural towns of Cochiti Mesa and Las Conchas were evacuated after the fire started Sunday. In nearby Santa Fe, emergency officials are preparing to provide emergency evacuation and are setting up a shelter.
The laboratory has activated its emergency operations center. Officials said in a news release that all radioactive and hazardous material was being protected and the fire had not yet crossed onto the laboratory property.
The fire is 1 mile southwest of the boundary of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The government site was founded during World War II to develop the world's first nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, the biggest wildfire in Arizona history is now 82 percent contained after burning through 538,000 acres in the White Mountains in northeast Arizona. The fire started May 29 and has destroyed 32 homes. It's believed to have been caused by a campfire.
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