Albuquerque firefighters grapple with 60% spike in outdoor fires this winter

Feb. 24—Albuquerque firefighters responded to 1,300 more outside fires — those set in the streets or in the bosque — than at this same time a year ago.

Lt. Jason Fejer, an Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesman, said AFR this year has responded to 3,494 outside fires, "anything from a warming fire to a dumpster fire."

That is a 62% increase from the 2,163 outside fires recorded over the same period in 2023, according to AFR data.

Those totals show a steady increase from 2022, when there were 1,169 outside fires, and dwarf those from 2021, when there were only 727 outside fires.

Fejer emphasized that the numbers reflect the original dispatch call and "not necessarily what was encountered on scene."

Of the total 5,657 outside fires recorded in the beginning of 2023 and 2024, only 68, or 1%, were classified as brush fires.

"Although outdoor fires usually increase in the winter, the data was concerning and the increase in call volume was being felt by field crews," Fejer said in a news release.

Due to the spike, he said, on Dec. 30 AFR assigned a brush truck and eight firefighters to tackle the increasing number of outside fires. Fejer said the truck, Brush 3, is also used to patrol areas with high numbers of outside fires.

"I believe that a big reason this pilot program has been successful is that we have firefighters motivated to help provide a solution," AFR Chief Emily Jaramillo said in a statement. "We used existing staffing to pilot this program through the cold months, and AFR did not have to compromise any of our other services to implement Brush 3."

Fejer said utilizing Brush 3 on outside fire calls, "typically smaller warming and cooking fires," has freed up other crews for "higher acuity emergencies..., including medical emergencies and larger fire responses."

Fejer said AFR has also worked with the police officers and the Albuquerque Community Safety Department, or ACS, to "not only extinguish outdoor fires, but also to connect people living on the streets to resources and a warm bed, uncover the causes of fires, and hold arsonists accountable."

ACS Director Mariela Ruiz-Angel said in a statement that the approach is twofold.

"To compassionately support unsheltered individuals in our community while also safeguarding the prosperity and safety of Albuquerque businesses and residents," she said. "These cooperative efforts address the urgent need for comprehensive solutions that ensure the well-being of all."