SANTA FE, New Mexico, April 28 -- New Mexico state authorities said Sunday a brush fire sparked by an untended campfire has burned 11, 500 acres in two days. Nearly 800 firefighters are battling the blaze using fleets of fire trucks, bulldozers and air tankers, said Adam Medina, dispatcher for the State Radio Communications Center.
He said the fire burned near but did not threaten Los Alamos, 25 miles north of Santa Fe, and it bordered the Bandelier National Monument. 'They're containing it on the populated side, such as Los Alamos, and the Bandelier side,' he said. 'I believe it's heading west.' Medina said the blaze, dubbed the 'Dome Fire,' began on Friday after two campers failed to properly extinguish a campfire before leaving their campsite. 'The cause of the Dome Fire is an abandoned campfire. They didn't take care of their campfire before they abandoned it,' he said. 'Two people were found and arrested...and they will be arraigned tomorrow.' Firefighters were not expected to contain the fire until May 5, and they could not get control of it until May 10, Medina said. The army of firefighters battled the blaze using 15 fire engines, seven helicopters, five air tankers to drop fire retardant on the blaze, four bulldozers and seven water tenders, Medina said. 'A total of 784 people are committed to the fire and the numbers are growing,' he said.
