County fire responded to 18 fire calls during the weekend

FARMINGTON — San Juan County’s fire chief advises citizens to take precautions after firefighters responded to multiple fire calls this weekend.

Districts of the San Juan County Fire Department responded to a total of 36 calls from Friday to Sunday night, according to county Fire Chief Craig Daugherty.

Eighteen calls were fire-related, with 11 of them related to wildland fires. The remaining seven calls were for a structure fire, car fire and smoke checks, Daughtery said.

The lack of moisture is a real concern for Daughtery as county volunteer firefighters responded to calls during which fire damaged some structures and vehicles but did not destroy any homes, he said.

The high winds this weekend also created issues for firefighters.

A fire Sunday afternoon in the area of County Roads 3050 and 3400 in Flora Vista burned a shop and multiple vehicles and threatened multiple homes.

Four homes were in immediate danger and another five to 10 homes were in possible danger as firefighters arrived on the scene, according to Daughtery.

Multiple county districts along with the Farmington Fire Department responded to a fire off McCoy Avenue Saturday afternoon in Aztec during which two structures were lost as well as a fifth-wheel trailer, according to a Facebook post for District 3 of the San Juan County Volunteer Fire Department.

Daugherty urged people to be careful with any type of ignition source, including dragging chains and any machine work which produces a spark or heat.

"People need to be careful with any kind of burning," Daughter said.

He also asked people to check with county fire department to see if are issuing burn permits that day before conducting any kind of burning.

Joshua Kellogg covers crime, courts and social issues for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.