New Mexico Wildfire Update - Blue 2, Indios fires
George Ducker
Communications Coordinator
New Mexico State Forestry Division - EMNRD
george.ducker@emnrd.nm.gov
505-699-0601
Wildfire Notification #13
The New Mexico Forestry Division would like to update you on two wildfires that are requiring the attention of federal, state, and local resources in New Mexico. The Blue 2 and Indios fires are burning on public lands and are being managed by Complex Incident Management Teams.
Blue 2 Fire
Highlights: Firefighters achieved 5% containment on the southern side of Soldier Mountain. Ground crews are being supported by air resources to address areas of heat near the fire’s edge. The road closure on State Road 37 from State Road 48 to U.S. Route 380 was lifted by New Mexico Police around 12:30 pm yesterday. The fire danger level has also been increased to “Very High” and Stage 2 Fire Restrictions have been implemented per Forest Service officials.
Operations: Structure protection personnel continue to work on setting up pumps and sprinklers for the communities east of the Forest Service boundary. Bonito Lake structure protection has been completed but will continue to be patrolled. Fire crews worked with helicopters yesterday around Monjeau Peak to successfully extinguish hotspots. Heavy equipment is being used along the forest boundary as well as on the northern section of the fire to make sure the communities have a safe secondary line in place.
Weather: The fire area experienced low humidity and high temperatures yesterday. Today, the humidity is expected to increase which will help keep smoke moderate in the surrounding areas. There are isolated storms near the Texas and New Mexico border that are bringing in the humidity but no significant moisture over the fire is expected.
Smoke: Winds are expected to stay moderate which will assist with minimal fire growth or smoke production. Much of the smoke that had been lingering around areas closest to the fire cleared out. Areas that had been experiencing periods of heavy smoke, such as Bonito and Capitan, can expect GOOD air quality. There is the potential for periods of light smoke this evening and overnight, but overall conditions should be much improved. View an interactive smoke map at fire.airnow.gov/
Closures: The Lincoln National Forest has issued an emergency area closure for the Blue 2 Fire. The full closure order (No.03-08-24-0001) and map are available on Inciweb and the Lincoln NF website.
Evacuations: There have been no recent evacuation level changes. The Lincoln County Emergency Services have been working with the incident management team daily to evaluate the status of all the evacuation levels. Effort is being made by fire crews to ensure that the fire perimeter is safe before repopulation of the surrounding communities. For an interactive evacuation map go to tinyurl.com/Blue2Evacs
Safety: A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place over the area, which includes uncrewed aircraft systems or drones. Find the TFR at tfr.faa.gov/tfr_map_ims/html/
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Acres :7,457
Start Date : May 16, 2024
Location : 8 miles North of Ruidoso, White Mountain Wilderness Area
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 785
Fuels : Timber/Grass/Brush
Containment : 5%
Resources : 17 crews | 31 engines | 8 helicopters | 9 bulldozers | 12 Water Tenders
PIO map of the Blue 2 fire
Evacuation map of the Blue 2 fire
Indios Fire
Highlights: Active fire behavior within the planned fire perimeter led to a visible plume of smoke over the fire area. Large air tankers supported the work of ground crews to slow fire spread on the west side. Last night, an open house was held at the Coronado High School, providing fire information to over 50 community members.
Operations: The fire grew by about 2,500 acres yesterday, starting on the western-most edge of the fire perimeter. Thermal winds influenced fire growth near Forest Road (FR) 64, pushing it to connect into the eastern portion of the fire overnight. Large air tankers dropped retardant in support of the crews as they worked into the evening with bulldozers to help protect private land and stop fire spread across FR 64. Throughout the day, crews masticated along contingency lines to the west of the fire and cleared cut vegetation along FR 8. Fire activity remained within the eastern boundary of the fire, and crews worked to identify and prepare secondary firelines outside of that area. Along the southern tip of the fire, aerial ignition efforts moved the fire north away from FR 77. As fire activity increased, crews in the south focused on community preparedness. Helicopters delivered 64 loads of water over the fire and will likely maintain the same pace today. Firefighters will continue to prepare secondary, contingency firelines outside the planned primary firelines. Aviation activity will remain high to support firefighters on the ground.
Weather: Humidity levels and temperatures should rise slightly today. The chance of precipitation remains at 10%. Warming and drying trends will likely continue over the next week, leading to active fire conditions.
Smoke: A highly visible smoke column could be seen from Santa Fe and across the Rio Grande Valley. Heaviest smoke impacts were overnight into mid-morning hours along low-lying areas from Rio Chamas down to Hernandez. Areas along Highway 96 will have higher smoke levels where elevation is lower. Additional smoke monitors were installed yesterday in Coyote and more are planned for installation in Gallina, Española, Cañones, Chamas, and at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. A smoke outlook report for the Indios Fire is available online at the links below. View an interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ . Learn more about smoke impacts at https://www.env.nm.gov/air-quality/fire-smoke-links/ .
Closures: The Santa Fe National Forest has issued a new emergency area…