ALBUQUERQUE — Firefighters made progress Wednesday on mopping up a fire that has blackened more than 21 square miles in central New Mexico's Manzano Mountains despite continued dry and windy conditions.

"They've made good progress on the fire lines," Paula Shattuck, a fire information officer, said Wednesday. "But they're not going to let their guard down."

The human-caused Trigo Fire, mainly just west of the small communities of Torreon and Manzano, has torched 59 homes and 13,709 acres since it began April 15.

The fire, which is 75 percent contained, had forced the evacuation of about 400 people. The last of them, from the Sherwood Forest subdivision north of the fire's edge, were allowed to return to the area Tuesday.

Wind tested the southeastern containment lines Wednesday, but fire information officer Murt Sullivan said hot shot crews were able to shore up the lines and keep the flames in check despite gusts up to 38 mph.

More wind and dry conditions were forecast for the next few days. "We really need some rain," Sullivan added.

There was a smattering of rain Tuesday, but Sullivan said it wasn't enough to help the firefighting effort.

There were 774 people assigned to the blaze Wednesday along with 30 engines, 13 water tenders and three bulldozers. Five helicopters have been dumping loads of water on burning areas.

The fire has been burning bone-dry oak brush and piñon, juniper and mixed conifer trees on the east side of the Manzanos, where terrain varies from relatively flat lower areas to rough higher country.

The fire has cost almost $9 million to fight so far.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Small Business Administration and state and local officials surveyed the damage Tuesday.

In south-central New Mexico, crews were bolstering containment lines and mopping up a 3,860-acre blaze in the Sacramento Mountains on Mescalero Apache land, said Gwen Shaffer, a fire information officer.

"The fire itself is just burning and smoldering in stumps and logs, so they're just trying to cool those off right now," she said.

"In the mop-up phase, they dig underneath to make sure there's no smoldering stumps so in case we get another wind event it's not going to kick something out from underneath the ground," she said.

Wind had been forecast to gust up to 30 mph Wednesday, but fire information officer Tom Berglund said conditions turned out to be more favorable.

The human-caused South Tularosa Fire began Thursday about two miles southeast of Mescalero. It was 80 percent contained, Berglund said.

There were 321 people assigned to the blaze Wednesday, along with three helicopters, 16 engines, six bulldozers and five water tenders. Air tankers were available if needed to drop fire retardant.

The fire has been burning ponderosa pine trees on fairly flat terrain.




© Copyright Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.