Firefighters Make Gains On Fire In Manzano Mountains, New Mexico

MANZANO, N.M. (AP) – Firefighters are working in rugged terrain to corral a blaze that has burned 120 acres in the Manzano Mountains.

The Agua Fire, kindled by lightning last week, has been burning ponderosa pine and other conifer trees in the Cibola National Forest west of Manzano and Torreon.

A U.S. Forest Service fire information officer, Arlene Perea, says 94 firefighters were atwork Monday to secure a line around the blaze, which is 80 percent contained.

The fire has threatened the University of New Mexico’s astronomical observatory at Capilla Peak and some nearby electronic sites. But Perea says the threat has been somewhat minimized.

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