( CNN ) -- The Las Conchas fire in New Mexico swelled to 92,735 acres burned Thursday , and strong winds threatened to be firefighters ' greatest challenge moving in to the fifth day battling the flames . `` We have seen fire behavior we have never seen before , '' Fire Chief Doug Tucker told reporters Thursday . Tucker said no fire was coming from the south and that Thursday the fire would keep moving north towards Santa Clara . Officials also dispelled rumors that residents , who were worried about their homes , could return to Los Alamos . `` Folks right now are hurting us , '' said Police Chief Wayne Torpy Thursday . `` Los Alamos County called the evacuation and Los Alamos County will be the one that repeals the evacuation ... You 're going to erase the success of our evacuations . '' Torpy also said that residents ' homes had not been impacted by the fire . However , the nearby flames will keep the Los Alamos National Laboratory closed through at least Friday , a statement on the lab 's website said . `` What I witnessed today was an incredibly professional job by men and women who are risking their lives to save our community and this laboratory , '' Charles McMillan , the lab director , said Wednesday . `` I could feel the heat of the fire on my face as I watched from the roof of our Emergency Operations Center . '' The Los Alamos fire , which is officially called the Las Conchas fire , has forced nearly 10,000 people from their homes in the town . Jerome MacDonald , operations section chief for the multi-state southwest area Incident management team , said fire officials flanked the fire on the east side Thursday in an attempt to curb high winds from the southwest . Concerns were raised that the wildfire could put the Los Alamos lab at risk , as well as waste or other toxic materials stored at the site . But Tucker said that the waste is stored in drums that are kept on a blacktop with no vegetation around and are safe from fire . If the fire should get too close to the drums , firefighters were ready to use foam to ensure that nothing would be released into the environment , he said . 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 Thursday . In a news statement released Wednesday , the Santa Fe National Forest and Valles Caldera National Preserve said that parts of both preserves would close to the public until the fire is more controlled . Parts of the national forest have been placed under `` stage III '' fire restrictions , meaning all areas are off-limits for use unless otherwise posted . The Las Conchas Fire touches the south border of the lab 's 40-square-mile facility , and comes close to the west border , according to Tucker . New Mexico Gov . Susana Martinez warned citizens to avoid using fireworks on the July Fourth holiday and the rest of the season . The Las Conchas Fire is one of several burning in the region . The Donaldson and Game Fires south of the town of Hondo and U.S. Highway 70 have merged into one fire that has consumed an estimated 43,290 acres and is 0 % contained , according to the New Mexico Fire Information website . Evacuations were ordered for Alamo Canyon Wednesday as the Donaldson fire continues to threaten parts of Lincoln County . The Pacheco Fire continues to burn in the Pecos Wilderness , two miles north of the Santa Fe Ski Basin . It has scorched 10,000 acres since it began June 18 . The blaze was 24 % contained Thursday , with the potential for growth considered low , according to InciWeb . CNN 's Ed Payne , Molly Green and Craig Bell contributed to this report .
NEW : Fire consumes 92,735 acres by Thursday . National preserve lands begin closing in response to the fires . Los Alamos lab remains closed through at least Friday .