Fire near Los Alamos National Lab jumps 25% to 93,000 acres

Lab spokesman Jeffrey Berger said all of the lab's nuclear and hazardous materials, including its waste and environmental remediation sites, are safe, accounted for and protected, but the lab, which has been closed all week, will not reopen Friday.

He said no new fires have been reported on the property since a one-acre fire Monday.

Wild land fire managers are working to prevent the blaze from spreading to the lab, taking measures along Las Conchas' eastern perimeter and toward its southern edge.

The conflagration, which started Sunday, is only 3 percent contained, fire managers reported. Unfavorable conditions Thursday, including high winds, could result in "extreme fire behavior" on the northern edge of the blaze, they warned.

The number of personnel battling the fire from multiple agencies including the Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and state and local agencies, jumped by 25 percent from 500 on Wednesday to 752.

To ensure no new fires break out, the Santa Fe National Forest -- site of the Las Conchas fire -- imposed strict restrictions on public use, with most of the forest closed except for some day-use areas.

Bandelier National Monument, site of almost 900-year-old cliff dwelling and a 22-minute drive from the city of Los Alamos, is closed indefinitely.