Residents near Riverside Drive and the Santa Claran Casino were being evacuated Monday as a brush fire in Española spread to 100 acres and forced the closure of the casino, officials said.
Española Fire Chief said two structures had been destroyed as several fire agencies responded to the blaze in the area of North Riverside Drive, near West Pueblo Street to State Road 76. Officials said there was a significant threat to life or property, and the public was being asked to avoid the area and use caution.
The Española Fire Department and Rio Arriba County fire crews were already on scene, with help requested from the Santa Fe County Fire Department and the Los Alamos Fire Department. The fire closed the Santa Claran Casino and sent firefighters into a fast-moving response zone where crews were trying to keep the fire from spreading farther into nearby neighborhoods and businesses.
The question now is whether crews can contain the fire before more structures are lost. With evacuations underway, a closed casino and two buildings already destroyed, the Espanola fire has moved quickly from a brush fire to a direct threat to homes and property in the city’s river corridor.
