Crews continue battling los alamos blaze

The wildfire roaring through New Mexico near Los Alamos is not over, but much of the danger has been shifted from that community.

The fire steadily moves north, which could potentially impact the Santa Clara Pueblo.

"I saw what was happening in Santa Clara," said Los Alamos Fire Chief Doug Tucker Friday. "Knowing that we went through it -- it really hurts."

Los Alamos citizens are still not allowed to repopulate the town and no date has been given as to when they can return.

"We're not going to give a lot of hours or advanced notice when we make the announcement for you to come home," said Police Chief Police Wayne Torpy. "We want you to come home safely."

Meanwhile, the Las Conchas fire is burning nearly unabated through the Santa Fe National Forest and Valles Caldera National Preserve and heads north to the Santa Clara Pueblo and other communities.

Some fire teams are moving north to assist with the shifting struggle, said Jerome McDonald, a part of the management team overseeing efforts to fight the fire.

By Friday, it had charred 93,678 acres and strong winds threatened to be the firefighters' greatest challenge.

The Las Conchas Fire began on private land Sunday and expanded into the Santa Fe National Forest and Jemez Ranger District, according to InciWeb, an online database that keeps track of natural disasters such as fires and floods.

The fire was 3% contained Friday.