Mark Emery has lived in the Sandia Knolls neighborhood off Frost Road near Highway 14 in the East Mountains for nearly 30 years. In all that time, he says now is the driest he’s ever seen it.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Mark Emery has lived in the Sandia Knolls neighborhood off Frost Road near Highway 14 in the East Mountains for nearly 30 years. In all that time, he says now is the driest he’s ever seen it.
“It’s been drier and drier every year. All over the mountains here, you can see the rust-colored piñon trees that are dead and ready to burn,” said Emery.
That has Emery and his neighbors worried about extreme fire danger days like we expect this week.
“It might be a life and death situation one day,” Emery said.
For the people who live in the 400 or so homes in the Sandia Knolls Neighborhood, they only have one entrance in and out on Frost Road. If a fire sparked and everyone needed to evacuate, they would be backed up trying to get to Frost Road.
While he says it’s always been a concern, current conditions and the recent fires in Los Angeles were an all too real reminder of the potential danger they face.
“We don’t want to happen like what happened in Paradise, California, and get trapped in a fire. That is our main concern,” said Emery.
Bernalillo County Fire Rescue says they are doing all they can to prepare to respond to any fires that may spark, including getting their brush trucks ready and bringing in extra crews as necessary.
“One thing we really need is to make sure people aren’t outside burning. It is a no burn day for the next few days,” said Fire Marshall Division Chief of Bernalillo County Fire Rescue Joel Gallegos.
As for Emery and his neighbors, they are hoping for a calm couple of days and for a quick solution for another way in and out of their neighborhood.
“Hopefully we will never have to use it,” said Emery.
KOB 4 spoke with Bernalillo County Commissioner Eric Olivas Wednesday. The county is holding a meeting with the Sandia Knolls Neighborhood Thursday night.
Olivas told KOB 4 they are working with a private landowner surrounding the neighborhood to give emergency access in and out of there. He says it will be at no or little cost to the county.
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