By Roger Lanse

Photo and video by Lynn Janes (below)

June 1. 2024 – 10:30 p.m.

Black smoke was seen billowing into the sky Saturday, around 6 p.m., June 1, 2024, from a two-acre fire at a scrap yard in the area of Rosedale, Rodeo, and Spring Creek roads, and the smoke was observed from as far away as Deming, T or C, and Glenwood. According to Silver City Fire Department Chief Milo Lambert, 49 firefighters from every volunteer fire department in the county, with the possible exception of Sapillo Volunteer Fire, and 13 firefighters from SCFD, responded to the fire. Also responding were the Silver City Police Department and the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

Lambert stated 13 fire suppression vehicles were on the north side of the burn area where he was, and an unknown number were on the south side.

Lots of vehicles were destroyed, according to Lambert, and explosions left and right came from small and large propane tanks, fuel tanks, and tires. One 1,000-gallon propane tank blessedly did not explode.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, but, tentatively, it may have started as a grass fire along the edge of Rosedale Road which wind pushed into a scrap yard on private property. Lambert told the Beat, four structures on the north side of the fire and two or three on the south side were lost. Crews had contained the fire at 10:30 p.m., Saturday, but it was still too hot to gain entry into the fire site. "I think we're going to be here all night," Lambert said. He thought It will take a couple of days to cool it down and probably three more to mop-up.

At the moment, Lambert stated, they are trying to keep the fire from crossing Rodeo Road.

Taken yesterday evening:

Another photo taken from Memory Lane Cemetery. I don't know if the photographer wanted to receive credit or not.