People in central New Mexico are on standby this weekend as the Trigo Fire continues to threaten homes. Across the state, other fires are still causing damage.

In Torreon, residents were briefed on what to do if an evacuation order is given. People are already removing valuable items from their homes and a majority have gotten ready for an evacuation.

“Most everyone, all the neighbors, are packed. We have most of our stuff packed and ready to go in case the fire comes down,” Scott Garret said.

He and dozens of other Torreon residents were briefed Saturday about the Trigo Fire, which has been burning since Tuesday. Although smoke from the fire looms west of town, fire officials sounded a note of optimism the fire could be contained.

They say crews got help from fire tankers dropping loads of retardant throughout Saturday afternoon. Crews also worked to build fire lines near houses and ranches at the foot of the mountain.

Officials said the fire has begun to sit on itself as the temperatures began to drop and winds died down. The fire is 30 percent contained.

Pajarito Mesa Fire

A fire flared up Saturday afternoon on the Pajarito Mesa, southwest of Albuquerque.

Before it was finally put out, it scorched about 351 acres on the far west side of the mesa.

The fire started just before noon and grew quickly. Crews say every time they thought they had a handle on the blaze, it flared up again because of wind.

The fire chief says the fire started at an abandoned home, then swept to a nearby field.

Part of the challenge of fighting the fire, officials said, was the remoteness of the area. Rough, narrow roads that are a single vehicle wide made getting to the fire tough, and no source of nearby water caused extra problems.

Chief John Garcia, of the Bernalillo Country Fire Department, said the expansiveness of the mesa means firefighters rely on residents to report fires.

“There are a lot of people up here, we just can’t monitor everything up here, so we get a lot of brush fires,” he said.

Crews say the home where the fire started had no electricity or gas, so they don’t know what caused it.

Pepper Fire

Meanwhile, firefighters in southern New Mexico are making good progress against what they are calling the Pepper Fire.

The U.S. Forest Service says the 640-acre blaze near the village of Weed in Otero County is about 75 percent contained.

No evacuations have been ordered since the fire started on Wednesday.