Fire
The Oak Ridge fire is at 1191 acres with 9 percent
containment. It still remains three miles northwest of
Beulah. 

Smoke
We saw an increase of one acre yesterday with continued
light fire activity due to moisture and continued cloud cover.
We will see GOOD air quality in Beulah area near the fire. The
weather forecast for Beulah shows temperatures increasing
with winds out of the NW-E today, changing to westnorthwest
later in the day. Canyon City, Florence Westcliffe,
Wetmore, Pueblo, and Colorado City areas will have GOOD air
quality today. Clouds will develop in the afternoon and
isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms over the
higher terrain are expected with a passing weather
disturbance.

INCIWEB UPDATE

SOUTH FORK AND SALT BAER ASSESSMENTS

JULY 2, 2024

The Interagency Department of Interior (DOI)/Forest Service (FS) BAER assessment team finalized and posted Soil Burn Severity (SBS) and USGS Debris Flow Hazards maps for the Salt Fire. The Watershed Response Models (flood hazard maps) for both fires are completed and under review prior to release. BAER soils and hydrology specialists also advised for the proactive installation of structures on Tribal lands to divert flood water and debris away from property. 

Based on assessments of risk to human life and safety, property, and critical natural and cultural resources, the BAER team continues to work in two groups to finalize specifications and cost estimates for recommended emergency stabilization actions by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the USDA Forest Service, respectively, on Tribal and national forest (NF) lands. 

These plans will support an enhanced early warning system for flooding, barriers to mitigate the flow of water or debris into populated areas, and reseeding/reforestation in specific appropriate assessed burned areas. Final BAER plans are expected to be delivered to local agency administrators by early next week.

Additional information on understanding the BAER program, process and other post-fire information is posted on the South Fork & Salt BAER InciWeb page found at: Nmmea South Fork And Salt Fires Burned Area Emergency Response Information | InciWeb (wildfire.gov). 

BAER SAFETY MESSAGE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains and increased water runoff. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events--be prepared to act. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at the National Weather Service website: www.weather.gov/abq/.

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Today’s map has been updated with additional divisions and two branches. This is due to the expansion in the number of firefighters and operational tactics. As fuel conditions, weather, and on the ground resources change, so do the tactics and strategy of fire managers. Yesterday, two hotshot crews were able to work in from different directions on the northwest perimeter (Div. W and U) of the fire. Further south on the western perimeter (Div. M), crews scouted for ways to work directly on the fireline. These three crews will be camping remotely near the fire to reduce travel time in to these remote portions of the fire. Additional fireline containment was added on the area closest to Beulah (Div D). Indirect, secondary lines further out away from the fire continue to be expanded and improved. These lines serve as tools for managers to utilize if needed and as additional protection for Beulah.

Current Situation

The team continues to assess the need for strategic firing operations on portions of the fire. As weather and fuel conditions allow, these operations are anticipated to occur. When these burns occur, periodical times of increased smoke will be in the area. An infrared flight was flown early this morning along the southeastern edge of the fire. These flights are a valuable tool in helping managers determine the need for strategic firing operations.

With many new resources on the ground, crews will be getting familiar with the plan and continue to implement and improve firelines on the ground. Due to improved weather and fuel conditions, direct work in Div. W and U on the northwestern fire’s edge will continue, with mopping up of areas of heat. Structure groups will continue to check previous preparations, making sure that adequate placement of equipment and lines are in place to protect values at risk. 

Weather & Smoke Information: Isolated to scattered showers will move in from the west and will be over the fire through 5:00 p.m. Winds will be from the northeast between 3-8 mph. As winds align with terrain, isolated tree torching may be visible.  

The U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program is now producing a daily smoke outlook report specific to south central Colorado and the Oak Ridge Fire. You can read and download the outlook by going to https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/d9fa3c77. 

Closures: The San Carlos Ranger District of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests issued an area, trail and road closure effective June 26, 2024. Go to www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/psicc/alerts-notices to read and download the entire order.

Evacuations: The areas in Pueblo County that are on pre-evacuation status include Middle Creek Canyon Road, Vine Mesa, Cascade Avenue, Pine Avenue and Beulah Highlands Road. For all evacuation information, visit:  www.puebloemergency.info.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: There is a 24-hour a day Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the fire area. The TFR includes restrictions against private drones. Remember, If you FLY, we CAN’T. Air incursions will impede firefighting efforts and ground our aircraft.

OAK RIDGE FIRE INFORMATION

Fire Information Phoneline:  719-315-1536      Time: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Facebook: @OakRidgeFire2024     Email: 2024.oakridge@firenet.gov   

InciWeb: www.inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/copsf-oak-ridge-fire

Southwest Area

Incident Management Team

TEAM 5 – David Gesser – INCIDENT COMMANDER

Crews help community while waiting for road conditions to improve

Daily Update, Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Mescalero Apache Tribe Emergency Operations Center: 575-464-9214 (8am-6pm)

Village of Ruidoso and Lincoln County Emergency Operations Center: 575-258-6900 (7am-10pm)

Fire Information Phone: 575-323-8378 or 575-323-8258 (8am-8pm)

Media Information Phone: 575-323-8053 (8am-8pm)

Email: 2024.southfork@firenet.gov

Acres:  South Fork – 17,569; Salt – 7,939

Start Date: June 17, 2024

Location: South Fork – Ruidoso Area; Salt – 7 mile west of Mescalero, NM

Personnel: 532

Containment: South Fork – 87%; Salt – 84%

Fuels: mixed conifer, grass, pine/juniper                                             

Resources: The South Fork and Salt fires are currently staffed with 11 crews, 1 helicopter, 16 engines, 
2 bulldozers, and 5 water tenders.

Highlights: 

• Fireworks – Fireworks are always prohibited on the Lincon National Forest. On the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation, fireworks are only allowed as part of an organized event.
• Fire restrictions – Fire restrictions have been updated for Mescalero Apache Tribal lands. Details available in “Closures”, below.
• Flood mitigation – On Tuesday, crews once again supported flood mitigation efforts, filling an
  additional 28,000 sandbags for the community, bringing the 2-day total of filled sandbags to over
  46,000.

Fire Activity: Fire activity remains limited on the South Fork and Salt fires. Remaining heat sources on the South Fork Fire are downed logs away from control lines. Hot spots on the Salt Fire remain within dense conifer stands and snags and do not threaten containment.
Suppression repair crews will work across the South Fork and Salt fire area today. If conditions permit, crews will focus on repair of bulldozer roads and hand lines as well as chipping operations.

While monsoon season is in progress across the region, dry fuels are still present due to the continuation of the long-term drought affecting the area. Large diameter fuels, like dead/down logs, are dry for this time of year. As the 4th of July holiday approaches, please refrain from using fireworks, as these can cause new ignitions in persistent dry fuels.

Weather: Wednesday brings light clouds across the fire area, temperatures in the mid-80s and light potential for scattered rain. The remainder of the week will include a mix of warm, dry weather, followed by more scattered storms.

Closures: A South Fork Fire Emergency Closure Order was issued on June 20, 2024, for national forest lands within the Smokey Bear Ranger District. The identified areas, and roads and trails therein, are closed to public access to allow firefighting personnel to work and through the fire area safely. More information is available at www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/lincoln/alerts-notices/?aid=88199. 

The Mescalero Apache Tribe issued an updated Class V/Stage II – Extreme Fire Restriction Notice on July 1, 2024. More information is available on the Mescalero Apache Tribe Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mescaleroapachetribe.

A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire area. Public/commercial drone flights are also prohibited within this area. If you fly, we may have to ground our air resources. Visit https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html for more information.

More information:

Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmmea-south-fork-and-salt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWIMT5 

Smoke Outlook: https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/430b2c05

Lincoln County Government: www.lincolncountynm.gov

Mescalero Apache Tribe: https://mescaleroapachetribe.com 

Village of Ruidoso: www.ruidoso-nm.gov/south-fork-fire

Full Suppression Strategy in Place for Sheering Fire

Crews Utilizing Indirect Tactics Due to Extreme Firefighter Safety Concerns

SONORA, California, June 28, 2024— The Sheering Fire is burning in an area with excessive snags, hazard trees, and dead and down fuel within the 2013 Rim Fire footprint.  Firefighters with the Stanislaus National Forest’s Mi-Wok/Summit Ranger District have implemented indirect attack tactics on the Sheering Fire while maintaining a full suppression strategy.  

                “The area where this wildfire is burning is loaded with dead and down, there’s spots where the down trees are nearly chest high, there’s just no way we could safely put firefighters into that area,” said Mi-Wok/Summit District Fire Management Officer, Shaun Craig.

                Sandwiched between Duckwall and Bell Mountain near Cherry Lake, the lightning caused fire has been burning since June 25 with resources currently on scene. Burn scars from the Quarry Fire (2023), Bone Fire (2023), and Rosasco Fire (2019) provide secondary barriers to East, West, and South. 

                Craig said his team is currently evaluating the best locations to put in control lines.         

For more information please contact Forest Public Affairs Officer, Benjamin Cossel at Benjamin.cossel@usda.gov or 209.288.6261.

Containment of the Riley Fire near Denali National Park and Preserve increases 

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Despite a north wind shift Monday, containment lines on the Riley Fire held, keeping it from the Denali Park and Preserve entrance. The fire is now 10% contained after firefighters extended a containment line into the railroad easement on the south end. They’ll work to increase that percentage until full suppression of the Riley Fire is obtained. Using better imagery data, fire managers now estimate the fire to be at 388 acres. 

Cloudy skies and cooler temperatures are aiding firefighters and water-dropping aircraft. The fire has already burned through most of the black spruce in the area. It is now burning mostly hardwoods and brush, which helped moderate fire behavior. The winds, which are typically channeled through the Nenana River corridor, have been uncharacteristically calm since the Riley Fire started on Sunday.  

Helicopters are able to maneuver through the Nenana River corridor to draw water from a nearby lake to make numerous water drops on the fire. Additionally, single-engine water scoopers, known as Fire Boss airplanes, and large scoopers have worked the past several days to help the efforts on the ground. Firefighters continue working near the fire’s edge, using hoses to deliver water and cool down the fire. 

Two hotshot crews arrived Monday night and, with the firefighters on scene managing the suppression efforts, are coming up with a plan to pinch the northern tip of the fire. Firefighters will scout this area Tuesday and possibly start building a containment line on this section using a ridge line to the north as a natural barrier.  

They have made progress keeping the fire away from the Denali National Park and Preserve entrance a mile south, and to the west of the Nenana River. Efforts are focused on the southern end and flanks, allowing the fire to burn northwest up a hillside where it may reach a scree slope to help confine the fire. The Smith River Hotshot Crew will join the endeavor after demobilizing from fires near Central and Circle. 

Evacuations:  Some areas are in Evacuation Status with the Tri-Valley Community Center established as the Evacuation Information Center. Go to the Denali Borough website for more information.  

Red – Go!: The Denali Borough and All Bison Gulch and Antler Ridge hikers, Riley Creek Campground and all employees housed at the Denali National Park Joint Venture facility: ANYONE IN RED AREAS SHOULD EVACUATE. 

Yellow – Set: There are currently no locations in “set”. 

Green – Ready: The Nenana Canyon area (aka Glitter Gulch), Denali National Park Headquarters, C-Camp. Anyone in GREEN areas should stay alert and monitor for evacuation status updates. 

Park Closure:   All visitor facilities and park operations in Denali’s entrance area will be closed Tuesday. Future dates will be assessed based on fire activity. The park will also continue to remain closed to personal vehicles and day use visitors until further notice. Employees evacuated from park housing are being sheltered in various facilities in the nearby town of Healy. Park officials continue to work closely with the Denali Borough and other partners to ensure everyone is taken care of. Go to the Denali National Park and Preserve website for closure information.  

Road conditions:  The Parks Highway remains open. Go to https://511.alaska.gov/ for road condition updates. 

Contact the Alaska Interagency Wildland Fire Information Office at (907)356-5511 for more information.

FIRE CLOSURE ORDER – White Mountain National Recreation Area 

Under authority of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (Title 43, United States Code, Section 1701, et. seq.) and pursuant to Title 43, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 9212.2(a), the following closures area in effect for the Western portion of the White Mountains National Recreation Area. It is the policy of the Bureau of Land Management to take all necessary actions to protect human life, the public lands, and the resources and improvements thereon through the prevention of wildfires. Wherever possible, the Bureau of Land Management’s actions will complement and support state and local wildfire prevention actions. 43 U.S.C. § 9212.0-6 The Eastern Interior Field Office has temporarily closed public access to the western portion of the White Mountains National Recreation Area due to ongoing wildland fire activity associated with the Globe fire (#253). 

The closure includes trails, public use cabins, trail shelters and the Wickersham Dome Trailhead (mile 28 Elliott Highway), which may be used as a base camp for firefighters nearby. 

The following BLM trails are closed: • Wickersham Creek Trail • Trail Creek Trail (between the junction with Wickersham Creek Trail and the junction with Moose Creek Trail) • Moose Creek Trail • Summit Trail The following BLM public use cabins and shelters are closed: • Lee’s Cabin • Eleazar’s Cabin • Moose Creek Cabin • Summit Trail Shelter • Wickersham Creek Trail Shelter 

Penalties: Pursuant to Title 43 § 9212,0-5, 9212.1, and 9212.4, any person who knowingly and willfully violates the regulations at § 9212.1 of this title shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000 or to imprisonment of not more than twelve (12) months, or both. Restitution for total fire suppression or damage costs incurred will be borne by the violator. Individuals violating this order can be subject to fines up to and including $1,000 along with associated fire suppression and rehabilitation costs pursuant to 43 CFR 9212.4.

fire closure order_map_white mountain rec area.jpg

Wed, 07/03/2024 - 16:42

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fire closure order_map_white mountain rec area.jpg

Sheriff David J. Lucero announced today that the mandatory evacuation imposed on the Middle Creek Canyon Road residents on Monday, June 24 as a result of the Oak Ridge Fire is being lifted, effective Noon on Tuesday, July 2.

Those residents will now be on pre-evacuation status. Those areas placed on pre-evacuation status on 6/24 will remain on that status at this time. This includes Vine Mesa, Cascade Avenue, Pine Avenue and Beulah Highlands Rd.

The Sheriff is lifting the evacuation status due to the current fire conditions and the progress made on the fire.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.