SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. — Firefighters have contained a fire in San Juan County to 2 acres after it prompted evacuations around 13 miles north of Farmington.

Crews contained the fire to around 2 acres on New Mexico Highway 170, just north of Road 1424. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office closed the highway while crews flow water to the scene.

San Juan County Fire and Rescue stated there is “a lot of debris” on fire that will continue to burn. There are also power lines down in the area, which will likely close the highway for “an extended period of time.”

They’re asking people to avoid the area and find a way around as evacuations are in place.

According to San Juan County, firefighters are responding with structure fire and wildfire resources. Further details are limited at this time.

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – An EMT student will get more than $287,000 over an injury he received during a training course. In March 2024, an employee with Wellness Studios Inc. took a group of EMS corps students, including Alejandro Guillen, on a hike to Embudo Canyon as part of the wellness portion for the class.

According to the lawsuit, a boulder came down at one point on the hike, hitting Guillen and pinning him underneath. Guillen suffered life-threatening and permanent injuries. He sued the state, claiming the employee leading the hike was not trained in first aid and organizing a hike. The lawsuit was settled for $287,500.

CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico’s caves attract hundreds of explorers each year, but those adventures can lead to dangerous situations requiring emergency rescues, and local first responders are learning how to do them. The National Cave Rescue Commission held a two-day rescue course in the Malpais National Monument this past weekend. The instructor told KRQE News 13 that participants learned how to provide first aid in one of the most difficult environments.

“Cave rescues are particularly difficult because of the limited resources available in those environments. Caves themselves are often very large underground spaces with extended travel times, so you may not be able to get resources that you request for many hours,” said Sarah Truebe, Regional Coordinator for the National Cave Rescue Commission.

Albuquerque Fire and Rescue was one of the agencies participating in the two-day weekend training, alongside other emergency responders, volunteer search and rescue personnel, and members of New Mexico’s caving community. The training included first aid, communication skills, proper transportation of injured patients, and technical rescue. Instructor Sarah Truebe says aside from first aid, participants also learn to be mindful of the environment and how fragile the ecosystem is.

“It is very easy to get really mission-focused and to just go straight to that patient and not think a lot about the environment around you, but because these resources are so fragile and rare, we really want to take care of that resources as well, while we’re doing the rescue response,” said Truebe.

In all, 14 instructors hosted a group of 31 participants. Truebe said that between Arizona and New Mexico, there are usually one to two cave rescues a year, but said that last year they conducted six rescues. Truebe said their next training course will be held in October in central New Mexico. She said the date will be posted online once that training is scheduled.