 Winds of up to 45 mph (72 km/h) pushed the fire 4 miles (6 km) north before it was contained after several days of work by 1,000 firefighters and a favorable change in wind conditions.The fire was significant for being the first fire to require the evacuation of nearby Los Alamos, New Mexico.Although most sources list the Water Canyon Fire as occurring in 1954, one document from Los Alamos County (Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan) lists the fire with a date of 1953, with the smaller 1,000 acre (4 km²) "Burnt Mountain Fire" as occurring in 1954.