UPDATE: Organ Mountains Brush Fire Brought Under Control

By Ken Molestina

VADO — Now that a brushfire that began Thursday night at the base of the Organ Mountains near Vado is under control, fire crews and Southern New Mexico residents are breathing a sigh of relief.

According to the Bureau of Land Management, the desert brush caught fire after military exercises conducted by Fort Bliss fired ammunition into the mountain landscape. Fire officials said the flames consumed about 300 acres of wild land, but the all of it was designated as training zone for the exercises.

Because of that, firefighters allowed the brush fire to burn itself out. Additionally, fire crews did not have clearance to proceed onto military property to extinguish the flames.

By Friday, there were no visible flames and those smoldering areas that remained were only patches surrounded by rock and arid land.

Attempts were made to speak with Fort Bliss officials about the exercise, but information has yet to be released.