Route 66 travelers who want to take a short side trip to Las Vegas, New Mexico, from the Santa Fe Loop had better change plans for at least a few days.
A wildfire of nearly 140,000 acres around Las Vegas has prompted evacuations on the west side of the city and briefly jeopardized its water-treatment facility, according to the Las Vegas Optic newspaper and other media outlets.
A good many Route 66 travelers consider staying at Allan Affeldt’s Plaza Hotel in downtown Las Vegas or the recently reopened Castaneda Hotel near the railroad tracks. Affeldt also is known for also restoring and reopening La Posada in Winslow, Arizona.
The Plaza Hotel announced Monday it would not accept any overnight guests or reservations for that day or today who are not EMTs or firefighters. The hotel noted much of the city must be ready to evacuate if the order comes.
“This action must be taken because we put the safety of our customers first,” the statement read.
The hotel posted this image Monday afternoon from its roof:
Via a social media message from its chef, the Castaneda Hotel’s bar also is offering free buffets to first responders and those rendered homeless by the fires.
Affeldt posted this message Sunday:
Las Vegas sits a few miles from old Route 66 but has become a common side trip for travelers exploring the 1926-1937 alignment of the Mother Road that looped to Santa Fe.
(Screen-capture image from Ernesto Garcia video of wildfires near Las Vegas and Mora, New Mexico)
How are the fires affecting Taos and Santa Fe?