Grass Fire Near Hobbs Burns 3,000 Acres
HOBBS, N.M. (AP) – Hobbs Fire Chief Manny Gomez says a discarded cigarette sparked a grass fire that scorched more than 3,000 acres near the southeastern New Mexico city.
The blaze started Monday east of State Road 483 and north of U.S. 62-180 and briefly threatened a ranch home.
In the end, no structures were damaged but the blaze ruptured a natural gas line north of the Colorado Energy Plant. That’s according to Gomez.
Smoke was visible most of the afternoon from Hobbs. Meanwhile, Lovington firefighters responded to a grass fire on U.S. 82 about 20 miles west of the community Monday.
Lovington Fire Chief James Williams says the fire burned 576 acres.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
