Wednesday Fire Update

Today, authorities are reporting that the Thompson Ridge Fire, 23,903 acres, is 80% contained;
the Tres Lagunas Fire, 10,219 acres, is 90% contained; and the Jaroso Fire, 3,546 acres, is 0% contained. See Below for announcements and the press releases for all three fires. (Pictured above, Thompson Ridge Fire map.)

Announcements:

Thompson Ridge: There will be a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Assessment Team public meeting on Thursday, June 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Valles Caldera National Preserve / Science & Education Center located at 90 Villa Louis Martin Drive, Jemez Springs, NM 87025.

Tres Lagunas: A public meeting will be held at the Pecos High School auditorium on Monday, June 24th at 6:00 pm. The U.S. Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment team will share their assessment data and findings for the Tres Lagunas fire area and potential for post-fire runoff, flooding and debris flows.

Thompson Ridge Fire News Release June 19, 2013 9:30 a.m.

Acres: 23,903

Cause: Downed power line Containment: 90 percent Terrain: Steep, rugged Total personnel: 276

Fire Information: (541) 787-4342 8:00 am to 9:00 pm

Start date: May 31, 2013
Location: Valles Caldera National Preserve, NM
Fuels: Mixed conifer and Ponderosa pine
Resources: 6 crews, 11 engines, 5 water tenders, 2 dozers Available air support: 3 helicopters

Summary: There was no new perimeter growth yesterday as unburned fuels within the interior continued to smolder and burn. Today crews will continue mop up, patrol and rehab on all divisions of the fire. An increase in winds, lower humidity and warmer temperatures may contribute to increased fire activity within the interior which may create smoke plumes.

The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team will continue fire damage assessments and present its findings at a public meeting Thursday, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the Valles Caldera Science and Education Center in Jemez Springs. For more information on BAER and directions to the meeting go to http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3430/ or call (707) 853-4243.

Open and active: Communities in and around the Santa Fe National Forest remain open and accessible including Jemez Springs, Jemez Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument. Camping, hiking and other recreational opportunities are available in these areas.

Smoke: For more smoke information and air quality forecasts, please visit the New Mexico Environment Department’s website at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/aqb and https://nmtracking.org/fire.

Openings: The main entrance to the Valles Caldera National Preserve is open from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. The public can drive to the Valle Grande Staging Area where they can visit the gift shop or view elk and other wildlife in the area.

Closures: The Fenton Lake State Park is closed to the public.

For more information regarding the fire, please visit www.inciweb.org or follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ThompsonRdgFire . Additional photos and information are available at www.facebook.com/ThompsonRdgFire and www.flickr.com/ThompsonRdgFire.

Pictured above, Tres Lagunas Fire mapTRES LAGUNAS FIRE UPDATE June 19, 2013 Start Date: 5/30/13 Size: 10,219 acres Cause: Human Fuels: Timber Terrain: Steep/Rugged Containment: 90% Location:15 miles N. of Pecos,NM Resources Committed: 165 people; 2 Crews, 6 Engines, Heavy Equipment, & water tenders Summary: Despite rainfall in northern New Mexico, active flames remain in the center of the Tres Lagunas fire perimeter. Today, fire crews are battling the hot spots. The containment remains at 90 percent. The Northern New Mexico Type III Incident Management Team of firefighters and engines remain on scene working in extreme terrain and through a fire weather watch. There is still potential for rolling rocks, falling debris, and new fire starts. Today’s Weather: A Red Flag Warning is in effect Wednesday. Wind gusts are increasing and will be erratic with no precipitation. Those conditions create a fire weather watch. Dry thunderstorms are also possible. Conditions will rapidly dry the rest of the week. Transition: Once fire behavior permits, the Type III Incident Management Team is scheduled to turn the fire management to the local jurisdiction of the Santa Fe National Forest-Pecos Ranger District. At that time, the public is advised to contact the district for more information, 505-757-6121. Closures:  Highway 63 at mile marker 14, nine miles north of the intersection NM50 and NM63. Highway 63 is open for resident’s access only.  The public is reminded that the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District, including the Pecos Wilderness, is closed, due to extreme fire danger. No picnicking or camping.  The District closure pertains to all recreational uses (fishing, camping, hiking, etc.) including recreation resident leasees, or permittees on national forest land. For questions about the District closure, please call the Pecos Ranger District at 505-757-6121.  NM Game and Fish lands in the Pecos Canyon are closed to all recreational use. Heavy equipment is still being used on Highway 63; residents are urged to drive slowly and use extreme caution. Fire information: For further information Wednesday on the Tres Lagunas Fire, call the Fire Information at 505-757-2952. Media contact number 505-757-2907. Maps and photos can be found at: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3401. Post Response: For further information on the Tres Lagunas Post-Fire Response, please visit Inciweb at: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov or call (505) 670-6072. TRES LAGUNAS POST-FIRE EMERGENCY RESPONSE UPDATE - JUNE 19, 2013 PECOS, NM (June 19, 2013) A Public Meeting will be held at the Pecos High School auditorium on Monday, June 24th at 6:00 pm. The U.S. Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment team will share their assessment data and findings for the Tres Lagunas fire area and potential for post-fire runoff, flooding and debris flows. The BAER assessment team hosted a field trip into the burn area this week for cooperators involved in the post-fire emergency response efforts for the Tres Lagunas fire. Approximately 50 representatives from private, local, state and federal jurisdictions attended, and a strong working relationship among these cooperators has been established on behalf of Pecos-area landowners and residents who stand to be affected by flooding and runoff concerns. A burn severity map has been provided to the cooperators and the public, and can be downloaded from the InciWeb site (http://inciweb.nwcg.gov), under “Tres Lagunas Post-Fire Response”. This map shows that approximately 70% of the 10,219 acres within the Tres Lagunas fire perimeter are either unburned or received low-severity burn, 15% sustained burn at a high severity, and approximately 15% burned at moderate severity. The BAER team will complete their assessment and final report by Monday, June 24th and submit it to BAER coordinators at the Regional and Washington Offices of the U.S. Forest Service. Based upon their findings, the BAER assessment team may recommend treatments on National Forest lands if their data supports the probability that such treatments will help stabilize soil and lessen impacts from post-fire flooding and runoff. If such recommendations are approved and funded, a separate BAER implementation team will oversee the approved treatments and projects. As updated information becomes available it will be posted on In ciWeb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov and NM Fire Info at http://www.nmfireinfo.com. Contact information for the cooperators involved in this post-fire response can also be found on InciWeb. The information phone line for U.S. Forest Service BAER updates is (505) 670-6072.

Fire Facts:

Jaroso Fire information: 505-438-5321 Number of Personnel: 20

Date Reported: 06/10/2013
Location: Espanola Ranger District within the Pecos Wilderness, approx. 6 miles southeast of Borrego Cause: Lightning
Size: 3,546 acres

Equipment: No ground equipment at this time.

Aircraft: 2 helicopters Injuries to Date: None Percent Contained: 0%

General Information/Announcements:

 The U.S. Forest Service, Atlanta National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) has assumed command of the Jaroso Fire. The NIMO team is also managing the Tres Lagunas suppression and BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) efforts, as well as, the Thompson Ridge BAER efforts.
 The NIMO team is implementing the Jaroso Fire Long Term Assessment.
 Future fire updates will be posted every morning. Evening updates will no longer be posted unless fire

activity changes significantly.
Santa Fe National Forest Fire Restrictions and Closures: www.firerestrictions.us/nm or www.fs.usda.gov

Note: The entire Pecos Wilderness is currently closed to all public entry for the protection of human health and safety.

Today’s Planned Activities:

Today’s operations include using aerial resources in the morning to drop water in the Frijoles Canyon area. We will evaluate the weather throughout the day for opportunities to continue using water during today’s operations.

Yesterday afternoon, due to favorable weather conditions aerial resources were able to drop water on hot spots on the west side of the fire near the Rio Jaroso and on the south side of the fire near Horsethief Creek.

The two most active parts of the fire continues to be on the west and south side. On west side of the fire it continues to burn in the Frijoles creek area near the blow down, on the south side of the fire continues to burn around the Horsethief Creek area, on the north side of the fire, there is heat on the ridge near Rio Medio; and on the east side there is minimal fire activity.

Today’s weather includes a RED FLAG WARNING being mostly sunny and very dry. The forecasted weather includes a FIRE WEATHER WATCH being sunny and with some afternoon cloud development. The fire continues to burn in an area that is inaccessible and dangerous to firefighters.

Santa Fe Reporter

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