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The Mestenas Canyon Fire is now fully surrounded by control lines. Crews on Wednesday cut handline on the fire’s northwest edge, increasing containment on the now 837-acre blaze to 65 percent.

The fire’s north end remains the only uncontained area, however the control line is Forest Road 312N, which has been blacklined.

“We’re keeping an eye on this area because upslope winds out of Mestenas Canyon could create a slop-over,” said Jicarilla District Ranger Jim Eaton, referring to when a fire crosses a control line. “We’ll call it fully contained when we are confident the fire won’t move.”

The lightning-caused Mestenas Canyon Fire was first reported July 11. It is in the canyon of the same name, about 14 miles southwest of Dulce, N.M., and two miles north of Highway 64, where smoke may cause limited visibility to drivers.

The public can keep updated on the fire by visiting InciWeb or calling a public information officer at 505-216-6793.