Curry sees four grass fires across Sunday, Monday

CLOVIS - The good news was none of the four grass fires Curry County saw in a roughly 30-hour period Sunday and Monday reached any structures or caused any injuries.

The bad news is the fifth grassfire seems like all but a certainty.

"We have a higher level of humidity today and possibly tomorrow," Clovis Fire Chief Mike Nolen said, "but outside of that we've had low humidity and winds. It's just been a tinder box ready to go."

Nolen, reached by the news, didn't have specifics on the acreages burned in the four fires - one at County Roads 16 and I north of Clovis, separate fires at U.S. 70 and Curry Roads 6 and 7 south of Clovis, and a Monday blaze at the Santa Fe Lake of the Clovis industrial park. Nolen said the department could only speculate on the cause of any fire, as determining a source is often difficult in the aftermath of a grassfire.

Accuweather reported Monday instances of rain and snow throughout the west would only be a "bandaid fix" for the ravaging drought in the region. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than half of New Mexico is under exceptional drought conditions, including Curry and Roosevelt counties. Exceptional drought is the highest of four levels and involves, according to the Drought Monitor, "exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells creating water emergencies."

The National Weather Service's Albuquerque office reported year to date rainfall totals of five Curry County stations between 0.59 inches (Texico) and 1.92 inches (Grady), and five Roosevelt County stations between 0.54 inches (Portales) and 1.1 inches (Causey).