Wildfire in Quay County, New Mexico

The Old 66 Wildfire was discovered mid-day March 27th, and quickly grew out of control north of I-40 near San Jon, NM. It burned quickly southward through grasslands crossing I-40 aided by strong northerly to northeasterly winds behind a strong cold front, growing to a final size of 4,111 acres. The fire came under control as winds subsided heading into March 28th. The fire caused a closure of NM 469 and Main Ave. in San Jon, NM. Emergency management reported the fire destroyed two structures, and that a wind farm that was threatened did not suffer any damage. No injuries or loss of life was reported. Damage is an estimate.

A strong backdoor front moved south and west across eastern New Mexico late March 26th into early March 27th resulting in strong north winds at several locations. The strong northerly winds aided the rapid spread of the Old 66 Wildfire that began just north of I-40 near San Jon, jumping south of the highway. This fire destroyed two structures, but did not cause any injuries or loss of life. The cold front surged through the gaps of the central mountain chain just before sunrise resulting in strong to high east canyon winds across the Tularosa Valley and middle and lower Rio Grande Valley. Mesonet sites across White Sands Missile Range measured wind gusts up to 93 mph. Winds across eastern New Mexico tapered off during the late morning hours while winds across the Tularosa and Rio Grande Valley tapered off during the mid to late evening hours.