Crews watch for 'spot' fires inside Los Alamos nuclear lab

Firefighters for the first time gained control of a small edge of the fire near the Los Alamos National Laboratory on Wednesday, but were on alert for any spot fires that might fall within the nuclear weapons lab or nearby town.

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The so-called Las Conchas Fire, which continues to throw small fires onto Los Alamos National Laboratory, has grown to nearly 70,000 acres, fire information officer Linda Kearns said.

But about three percent of the fire's perimeter was finally contained, the first time firefighters were able to make headway on the blaze that had burned out of control since Sunday.

Some 350 firefighters and five helicopters have been battling the blaze, and more than 600 more crews were expected to join the firelines Wednesday.

"This is as dry as you can get, I've never seen it this dry," Los Alamos County Fire Chief Doug Tucker said at an afternoon press conference where he explained a plan to protect the town by clearing brush.

Kearns earlier reported "spots" had fallen on lab property "but they're putting them out pretty much right away."

However, Tucker later said he had no information about any additional spot fires beyond one put out on Monday.

A buried natural gas pipeline running near the northern edge of the fire has been turned off as a precaution, incident fire commander Joe Reinarz said. Los Alamos laboratory officials have been shutting down gas lines since the fire began to encroach on lab property earlier this week.

Both the town of Los Alamos, home to about 12,000 residents, and the laboratory, with a work force of about 15,000, were evacuated on Monday. The lab is scheduled to be shut down at least through Thursday.

Situated on a hilltop 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, the lab property covers 36 square miles and includes about 2,000 buildings, none of which have yet burned.

Established during World War Two as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb, the complex remains one of the leading nuclear arms manufacturing facilities in the United States.

Video: Fire continues to threaten nuclear lab (on this page)

At a community meeting late on Tuesday, hundreds of evacuees gathered in a local gymnasium to hear updates and voice concern about about the potential of a radioactive smoke plume if the flames reach thousands of barrels of waste stored in above-ground tents at the lab.

Mai Ting, a doctor living in nearby Pojoaque, said she was frustrated by the lack of information on how to stay safe.

"I'm not a fearmonger, but there's a reason this story is on the national and world news. It's because of the nuclear lab. I don't trust this fire," she said.

She added that she thought people staying near the fire should be consuming lots of potassium iodide and seaweed to counteract the potential effects of radiation.

"What do I tell my children and grandchildren?" she said. "Well, they've left. I didn't want them around here."

Some residents who decided to wait out the fire weren't concerned, including Mark Smith, a chemical engineer who works at the lab.

"The risk of exposure is so small. I wouldn't sit here and inhale plutonium. I may be crazy, but I'm not dumb," he said.