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Fires Snow Helping Firefighters Corral Ojo Peak Fire |
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Firefighters Aided By Calmer Weather
The Associated Press
fire
June 11, 2002
CIMARRON, N.M. — Firefighters received a break Tuesday from gusty wind that had been hampering their efforts to lasso fires that have burned more than 96,000 acres in New Mexico.
"Given today that the winds are not as strong and the humidity is in double digits, we hope to get out there to continue to get work done — ground patrol, mopup and line construction," said Mike Ferris, a fire information officer for the 85,000-acre Ponil Complex of three fires in northeastern New Mexico.
"The weather's going to be very, very helpful as compared with the wind we've had in the last 24, 48 hours," said Bernie Pineda, fire information officer for the 11,200-acre Cherry Fire in western New Mexico.
The Ponil Complex, 10 miles northwest of Cimarron, was being tackled Tuesday by 840 people using 10 helicopters, 22 engines, 10 bulldozers and 11 water tenders, Ferris said.
"We've got about 63 more miles of line to build. We'll be able to do some of that with bulldozers and some will have to be done by hand. Obviously, the hand stuff is in more rugged terrain," he said.
Air tankers were standing by in Albuquerque if needed to drop fire retardant on the blaze, Ferris said.
The Ponil was 15 percent contained, and Ferris said firefighters expected to contain the fires June 19.
The Ponil, started June 2 by lightning, has burned pinon and juniper trees — along with grass — at lower elevations, and ponderosa pine and mixed conifer trees as the flames have climbed into higher elevations.
Most of the scorched acreage is on the 220-square-mile Philmont Scout Ranch. But about 20 percent of it, on the fires' western flank, is on the Carson National Forest, and some is on private property including the Vermejo Park Ranch, Ferris said.
"We feel that the scout ranch operation is OK. There's no immediate threat to what they're doing," he said.
The fire has not spread much in the last couple of days despite strong wind, single-digit humidity and temperatures reaching into the 90s, said Ferris, who credited firefighters with keeping the fire in check.
"It (the fire) slopped over here and there, but it hasn't made any major runs in the last couple of days," he said.
The fire has burned a mosaic pattern, leaving islands of unburned land, Ferris said. The blaze was not threatening any structures Tuesday, he said.
The Cherry Fire, 26 miles southwest of Grants, was being fought by about 430 people aided by nine engines, Pineda said.
"As we go around to the west side of the perimeter, that's the side we're going to be concentrating efforts, from the head of the fire to the south. We've got about a mile's worth of line to flank and anchor," he said.
Air tankers also were standing by for the Cherry if needed, Pineda said.
The Cherry was 25 percent contained, he said.
The low-lying fire, kindled June 4 by lighting, has scorched mostly grass and brush primarily on El Malpais National Monument — a massive ancient lava flow.
"It does creep into pinon and juniper and once and a while into spars mixed ponderosa pine," Pineda said. "The neat thing about it is that it's just burning the understory."
A bit of the burned land, on the northern side of the fire, is U.S. Bureau of Land Management acreage, Pineda said.
The fire was not threatening any structures, he said.
In southern New Mexico, two small lightning-caused fires burned some of the Gila Wilderness.
The 38-acre Panther Fire, 17 miles north-northwest of Silver City, was controlled Monday morning. The fire had burned ponderosa pine, said Sky Huffaker, fire information officer.
The 25-acre Apache Fire, burning ponderosa pine and grass about 30 miles north-northwest of Silver City, was being fought by 42 people, she said.
Firefighters had completed a line around the Apache, but the fire was not declared contained late Tuesday morning, Huffaker said.
"We're expecting erratic winds with cloud cover," she said.
Fires have burned more than 192,700 acres in New Mexico since March 23.
According to the Southwest Coordination Center, New Mexico has averaged 237,407 acres burned per year during the last 10 years. The worst year was 2000, when more than 519,000 acres burned; the best was 1997, when 13,928 acres burned. Last year, fires charred 38,890 acres.
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