Single Publication

QUEMADO, NM, July 11, 2024 – The Lolo Fire is 412 acres with 39% containment along the southern perimeter. Tasks for this area will include patrols and maintaining control features where crews have completed mop-up work which included mitigating hazards and hotspots along the fire boundary. Primary source of fire activity will be on the north and east side as fire continues to back down to areas accessible for firefighters to engage it. Tasks being performed in this area include structure protection for private property north of the fire and reducing fuels along roads that may be used as containment features.

A small amount of moisture will move into the fire area over the next day or two, increasing the chances of storms and helping to maintain low- to moderate fire behavior. Minimum relative humidity (RH) levels will drop to between 20 to 25%, but temperatures are expected to cool. RH levels will rise by late afternoon, with winds and storms possibly affecting the fire area. Storm chances will continue into the weekend with increased storm chances expected on Sunday and continuing into early next week.

A variety of tactics will be used to contain the fire. This may include using hand line to eliminate fuels along planned perimeters, protection of range infrastructure, hand ignitions, and other suppression tactics as changing conditions require to protect values at risk and bring low- to moderate-intensity fire out to control features and establish containment. News releases will be provided every two days unless there are significant updates.

You can obtain updated information for the Lolo Fire on Inciweb at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmgnf-lolo-fire. Have you registered to receive emergency notifications from Catron County? If not, please take a moment to visit CodeRed to register for emergency alerts at https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/B4CA52DAB2AA

Smoke will be visible from Quemado, Quemado Lake Estates, Mangas, and Pie Town, and is likely to settle into low lying areas during overnight and early morning hours. When smoke impacts are present, New Mexico Department of Health recommends that smoke sensitive individuals should reduce physical activity and stay indoors with windows and doors closed. For those who are unable to avoid smoke exposure, use of a particulate respirator mask can help. Additional air quality information and health protection measures are posted online at NM-Tracking - Fires, Smoke and Health. Real-time mapping of smoke and other air quality impacts is available at https://fire.airnow.gov. For more information contact Maribeth Pecotte at 575-388-8211 or Maribeth.Pecotte@usda.gov.

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