MOUNTAINAIR, N.M. — A fire burning in the Manzano Mountains was 50 percent contained, and better mapping found the blaze had charred fewer acres than initially estimated.
The 6,969-acre Ojo Peak Fire destroyed three homes and a few outbuildings while racing across part of the Manzano Mountains.
The blaze was not active Saturday, and crews were not on the fire Saturday morning because weather conditions made it too dangerous, said Arlene Perea, a fire information officer.
Roads were icy, and the northwest end of the blaze was in a wilderness area, “which is just incredibly rough, rugged, steep terrain,” Perea said.
The fire, on the south end of the Manzano Mountain Wilderness, broke out about 3 a.m. Monday. It was relatively small until winds whipped it over thousands of acres.
The cause has not been determined.
