ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Last winter, Albuquerque Fire Rescue pressed a brush truck into service just for outdoor fires, hoping it would free up other engines for larger searches.

From late December to mid-April, 1,700 calls for outdoor fires were responded to. It returned earlier this year and was full of supplies for our homeless community.

“There is a level of compassion within you to respond to some of these calls and you have to put out their fire. That’s the only way to stay warm on a day like this, so it’s not always easy to do,” said AFR Spokesperson Lt. Jason Fejer.

Fejer says it’s necessary.

“Some of these fires have the potential to set structures on fire and get exponentially worse,” Fejer said.

He says a fire broke out on the exterior of a Smith’s grocery store in Lomas and San Pedro in September.

Investigators say a heat-causing fire also destroyed the Wash Tub laundromat downtown in February. That’s why AFR is putting its wildland brush truck back into service this winter.

“Putting this truck into service will take some of the pressure off Engine 5, which is currently the busiest truck in the city,” Fejer said.

During the pilot season from December 30, 2023 to April 19, 2024, crews responded to 1,700 calls. It was back up and running Saturday morning and has already responded to 118 calls for service.

“We expect to see big numbers this year too,” Fejer said.

This year, instead of just putting out fires, crews are also distributing blankets and coats.

“We asked these people if they wanted services, and many of them didn’t want to go to a shelter. So all we can do is help them get through the night,” Fejer said.

Within the next month, that brush truck will be replaced by a one-ton pickup truck.

Fejer says it’s better suited for urban distances than the brush truck they borrowed from the wildland division.