Buzzard Fire is 74% Contained, Crews and Equipment Are Being Released

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I was blessed to preach Sunday at the First Baptist Church in Reserve, New Mexico! On the way home I stopped to visit with a Deputy Sheriff about the Buzzard Fire. 

Some of the Fire fighting equipment that was used to fight the Buzzard Fire in Catron County is pictured here. A Deputy Sheriff told me yesterday the rain really helped knock the fire down. He said restoration work is underway. No more smoke is visible.

Please keep praying with us for the safety of all and for more rain. We are still in a very bad drought.

General Information from NM FIRE:  Light showers, increased humidity and cooler temperatures put a damper on the fire Saturday.  Although the fire area received over half an inch of rain, the fire continues to creep and smolder in drainages containing stands of pine trees.  Sunday will see a return to warmer and drier weather as the remnants of Tropical Storm Bud move to the east.  Firefighters will continue to mop up along control lines and continue with suppression repair and rehabilitation on control lines where the fire no longer poses a threat.  With decreased fire activity, crews, equipment, and personnel are being released from the incident to travel home or be reassigned to other fires.

Gila National Forest – Buzzard Fire Update for June 17, 2018

Firefighters Face Warmer and Drier Weather on Sunday

June 17, 2018 Daily Update

Acres: 47,370                                                                Start Date: May 22, 2018

Cause: Human-caused                                                                       Location: 10 miles NE of Reserve, NM (Gila NF)

Containment: 74%                                                         Fuels: Timber (litter, grass and understory)

Total Personnel: 254                                                                

General Information:  Light showers, increased humidity and cooler temperatures put a damper on the fire Saturday.  Although the fire area received over half an inch of rain, the fire continues to creep and smolder in drainages containing stands of pine trees.  Sunday will see a return to warmer and drier weather as the remnants of Tropical Storm Bud move to the east.  Firefighters will continue to mop up along control lines and continue with suppression repair and rehabilitation on control lines where the fire no longer poses a threat.  With decreased fire activity, crews, equipment, and personnel are being released from the incident to travel home or be reassigned to other fires.

Fire Operations:  Seeding, water bar construction, and pulling logs and brush over dozer lines are complete on the northern sections of the fire. An Excavator and a rubber-tired skidder continue to construct water bars and pull material over control lines to aid in revegetation on the southeast portion.  Crews will patrol and monitor the fire’s edge on the southwestern side for hot spots.  Resource Advisors will be present to guide crews as they begin repair and rehabilitation on hand and dozer constructed control lines.   Equipment such as portable water tanks, hose, and water pumps are being returned to fire camp.  Initial Attack crews are prepared to respond to new fires that may pop up from lightning strikes from last week.

 Fire Safety Awareness:  Stage 2 Fire Restrictions remain in place even though the forest has received rain.  Rain has been spotty and not consistent over the forest to warrant lifting fire restrictions. Fire Danger is still rated as EXTREME on the Gila National Forest.

 Fire Weather:   Sunday, a southwest flow pattern will return, bringing warmer and drier conditions through the rest of the week. Today winds will be from the southwest, 10-15 miles per hour.  Temperatures to reach the 70’s with relative humidity bit higher than normal for this time of year.

Closures: The area around the fire remains closed for public safety until lifted by the Gila National Forest. Roadblocks have been set up by local law enforcement. In support of this closure, the Continental Divide Trail has been rerouted around the fire closures. The trail reroute map is available at https://bit.ly/2GRESFw. More closure information is available at https://bit.ly/2LvwKhN. For information on Stage 2 Fire Restrictions, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/gila/alerts-notices/?aid=46143.

Smoke Situation:  As fire activity decreases, air quality continues to improve throughout the area.   For more information on air quality and health impacts due to wildfire smoke, please visit the New Mexico Department of Health website at https://nmtracking.org/fire. Smoke concentration data is available at: https://tools.airfire.org/monitoring/v4.

Fire Information Links: Fire information can be found at nmfireinfo.com and https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5814/.  For information on the Gila National Forest, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/gila.

 Fire Information: (602) 529-5924                                   Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5814/                                

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GilaNForest/

Twitter: @GilaNForest                                                                 

Email: buzzardfireinfo2018@gmail.com

From Frank Haley of KDAZ Radio:

From the KDAZ  “Fire Line”  ….  3  fires to tell you about:
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DURANGO   –    Firefighters battling the 416 Fire in southwest Colorado received a bit of a reprieve with Saturday’s rain and lower temperatures.
Fire officials   expect “little to no growth” on the blaze which has burned over 34,000 acres since initially starting June 1. The cause is still under investigation.   The 416 Fire is 25 percent contained.
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UTE PARK     –   The Ute Park Fire, which has burned nearly 37,000 acres in northern New Mexico, is nearly totally under control by firefighters over two weeks after it was initially sparked.   The cause of the blaze is still being investigated but fire crews have achieved 97 percent containment. 14 unoccupied outbuildings at Philmont Scout Ranch went up in flames, but no homes were burned.    Cimarron Canyon State Park will stay closed through at least July 8.
U.S. 64 between Cimarron and Eagle Nest, closed for much of the early part of the month due to the fire burning on both sides of it, is back open.
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LOS ALAMOS – Saturday’s rain aided firefighting efforts and kept a fire 10 miles west of Los Alamos from growing.
 The San Antonio Fire started Thursday.
It is currently at 495 acres and zero  containment.
Officials say the fire was lightning caused and no structures are   threatened.

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