Little Bear Fire: Report outlines possible damage from flooding

A high risk of public and private property damage exists in the aftermath of the Little Bear Fire from storm runoff and debris flows, according to a report compiled by the Burn Area Emergency Response team of the U.S. Forest Service. "Hydrological modeling indicated flow increases from pre-burn conditions of 70 percent to 459 percent" from a 25-year, one-hour storm. The writers warned about possible damage to the casino at Ski Apache, to some private structures and to several state roads, including Ski Run Road. The Little Bear Fire burned an area about 8.5 miles wide and 13.7 miles long, bounded on three sides by the village of Ruidoso, the communities of Alto, Angus, and New Mexico Highways 48 and 37. The area, already identified as a potentially high urban interface risk, included several values pegged as "very high risk" because of the after-effects of the fire, as well as municipal waters and private wells because of potential sediment and ash flows. The team declared 53 percent of the burn area as high or moderate burn severity. The BAER team identified several streams in the burn area that drain directly into the urban interface below. "A large number of residences, infrastructure and commercial properties below the burn run a very high risk of experiencing damaging effects during the monsoon season and from heavy or extended precipitation events this winter," the team wrote. "In addition, the area attracts many visitors and summer residents, and the threat to downstream areas in these watersheds is very high."...more