Leah Romero, Silver City Sun-News
Mon, June 6, 2022
The glow from the Black Fire in the Gila National Forest is visible in the morning hours of May 30, 2022.
GILA NATIONAL FOREST – The Black Fire grew steadily over the weekend — gaining over 20,000 acres in size — and is on its way to being the second largest fire in New Mexico’s history.
As of Monday morning, the wildfire had consumed 287,283 acres of mostly uninhabited Gila National Forest land.
However, fire crews increased containment considerably over the weekend, from 29% on Friday to 49% on Monday.
Gila's Whitewater-Baldy Fire of 2012 was the state's largest before this year, having burned 297,845 acres. If the Black Fire burns another 10,000 acres, it will become the largest fire ever in the Gila and the second largest in the state's history.
The Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire in the Santa Fe National Forest surpassed 300,000 acres last month to become the state's largest ever blaze.
Flames from the Black Fire have been charring timber and tall grass since first reported May 13. The exact cause is still under investigation but is reported to be human caused. Over 800 fire personnel are currently working on suppression.
Crews from the Yoder Volunteer Fire Department out of Wyoming work on the Black Fire in the Gila National Forest May 30, 2022.
According to the U.S. Forest Service’s daily update Monday, the increased containment was largely achieved on the northeast and northwest sides of the wildfire. The most active area of the fire is along the southeastern edge near Round Mountain and McKnight Canyon.
Fire crews are working near Round Mountain, Dunn Place, Apache Peak and the Seco Creek drainages. A hotshot crew also built a hand line along the trail system by hiking into the Rabb Park area. Other ground crews are continuing with chipping debris along containment lines.
More: Black Fire moves quickly through the Gila National Forest in New Mexico
Only two structures have been lost to the fire. To protect the Wright’s, Noon Day cabins and Hillsboro Peak Lookout, firefighters covered the building in aluminum wrap.
A temporary fire spike camp was established in Kingston with an increase in personnel working in the area. Drivers are asked to use caution when driving on Highway 152 as fire crew traffic has increased, but the roadway is not closed.
Highway 59 remains closed from Mud Hole to the 59/150 intersection. Forest Road 150 is closed at the North Star Helispot. Portions of the Gila National Forest are closed due to fire danger. The temporary flight restriction also remains in place. Violators will face potential criminal charges.
Dry weather and warm temperatures are anticipated for Monday. Relative humidity is expected to be in the mid to single digits. Southwest winds may bring gusts up to 30 miles per hour. Overnight humidity recovery will continue to be poor.
An updated map shows the distance the Black Fire in the Gila National Forest is from surrounding communities June 6, 2022.
The blaze is now about 12 miles north of Mimbres, about seven miles north of Kingston, 21 miles west of Truth or Consequences and 26 miles from Silver City.
Real-time updates to evacuation orders can be found online at https://nifc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=d375d3d880a649aa914f693db309b892 via an interactive map. Communities near the northern end of the fire are in the planning and Ready stages while communities in Sierra and Grant counties south of the fire are in Set and Go stages. More localized questions can be directed to local jurisdiction’s emergency management agencies, including county sheriff’s offices.
U.S. Forest Service personnel will hold a community meeting Monday night at 6 p.m. at Camp Thunderbird, 3951 Highway 35, Mimbres at mile marker 13.5.
Biden to visit New Mexico in wake of historic wildfire season. A look at this year's blaze
Leah Romero, Las Cruces Sun-News
Mon, June 6, 2022,
NEW MEXICO – President Joe Biden will be traveling to New Mexico this week in the wake of multiple record-breaking wildfires scorching hundreds of thousands of acres of the state’s forest land this year.
Biden will meet in Santa Fe Saturday, June 11 at the New Mexico State Emergency Operation Center with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, first responders and emergency personnel.
New Mexico is still battling two of the largest wildfires in its history — the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire in the Santa Fe National Forest and the Black Fire in the Gila National Forest. They are burning over 605,000 acres collectively and are the first and third largest wildfires in the recorded history of the state.
The Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire started out as two separate fires and merged in mid-May. The Hermits Peak Fire started as the Las Dispensas prescribed burn in the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District. Strong winds caused the fire to jump containment lines and then grew exponentially. The Calf Canyon Fire was traced back to a pile burn holdover from January. The collective fire is still showing moderate fire behavior, though containment has increased to 65%.
Lujan Grisham has been critical of the federal government, calling on the Biden Administration to take responsibility for initiating a natural disaster that has destroyed at least 330 homes and left a financial toll in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Black Fire started in mid-May due to human causes, though the specifics are still under investigation. When this wildfire started, the northern New Mexico fire was already reaching historic acreage. However, the Black Fire, in a mostly uninhabited part of the Gila National Forest, grew at an even faster rate than the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire.
View above the Black Fire on May 16, 2022.
By the time Biden visits, the Black Fire will likely be the second largest in state's history. Though its growth has slowed, it's possible the Black Fire will have burned more acreage than its northern New Mexico counterpart. As of Monday, 49% of the Black Fire's perimeter was contained.
Apart from these two historically large fires, New Mexico has also experienced several other notable wildfires.
The McBride and Nogal fires in the Lincoln National Forest threatened Ruidoso and surrounding communities in mid-April — early for the New Mexico fire season. Hundreds of homes were burned and families were displaced. Community members are still working to recover from losing everything in the blazes.
Two people were reported to have died in the McBride Fire, making it the only fatal wildfire in the state so far this year.
South Baptist Disaster Relief New Mexico volunteers clean up a mobile home that was destroyed in the McBride fire in Ruidoso on Friday, May 6, 2022.
The Cerro Pelado Fire started in late April in the Santa Fe National Forest near Bandelier National Monument, Jemez Pueblo and Los Alamos National Laboratory is now 95% contained. The blaze has burned over 45,000 acres and required evacuations of nearby areas.
West of Socorro, in the Cibola National Forest, the Bear Trap Fire started in early May and has burned over 38,000 acres of land and is 98% contained.
More recently, the Foster and Cinnamon Fires ignited in the New Mexico bootheel at the end of May. They have collectively burned over 8,500 acres of land and are contained or nearly contained.
The most recent wildfire to gain attention is a small 37-acre fire ignited in the Lincoln National Forest June 3 by a lightning strike. The Cienegita Fire is only about four miles northwest of the already hard-hit Village of Ruidoso.
An aerial view of the Foster Fire May 30, 2022 burning in New Mexico's bootheel in the Coronado National Forest near the border of Arizona.
While containment percentages may be increasing, this does not mean that the fires are extinguished. Rather, fire crews have portions of the perimeters contained and under control. The state’s fire season is still underway and while the North American monsoon season technically begins in mid-June, New Mexico will likely not experience the precipitation that comes with it until later in the summer.
As the rainy season approaches, officials are worried about flash flooding, landslides and destructive ash from burn scars, according to reporting from the Associated Press. Lightning strikes brought to the area by thunderstorms also may very well start new fires New Mexicans will have to deal with.
Biden will travel to New Mexico following the Summit of the Americas held in Los Angeles from June 8-10.
More wildfire coverage:
Black Fire could soon become second largest blaze in New Mexico history. Here's the latest.
Two of the largest wildfires in New Mexico history are burning right now. Here's a look at the 10 largest.
Foster Fire reassessed at 7,500 acres in the New Mexico bootheel
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Joe Biden to visit New Mexico in wake of historic wildfire season
Leah Romero, Las Cruces Sun-News
Mon, June 6, 2022,
NEW MEXICO – President Joe Biden will be traveling to New Mexico this week in the wake of multiple record-breaking wildfires scorching hundreds of thousands of acres of the state’s forest land this year.
Biden will meet in Santa Fe Saturday, June 11 at the New Mexico State Emergency Operation Center with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, first responders and emergency personnel.
New Mexico is still battling two of the largest wildfires in its history — the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire in the Santa Fe National Forest and the Black Fire in the Gila National Forest. They are burning over 605,000 acres collectively and are the first and third largest wildfires in the recorded history of the state.
The Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire started out as two separate fires and merged in mid-May. The Hermits Peak Fire started as the Las Dispensas prescribed burn in the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District. Strong winds caused the fire to jump containment lines and then grew exponentially. The Calf Canyon Fire was traced back to a pile burn holdover from January. The collective fire is still showing moderate fire behavior, though containment has increased to 65%.
Lujan Grisham has been critical of the federal government, calling on the Biden Administration to take responsibility for initiating a natural disaster that has destroyed at least 330 homes and left a financial toll in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Black Fire started in mid-May due to human causes, though the specifics are still under investigation. When this wildfire started, the northern New Mexico fire was already reaching historic acreage. However, the Black Fire, in a mostly uninhabited part of the Gila National Forest, grew at an even faster rate than the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire.
View above the Black Fire on May 16, 2022.
By the time Biden visits, the Black Fire will likely be the second largest in state's history. Though its growth has slowed, it's possible the Black Fire will have burned more acreage than its northern New Mexico counterpart. As of Monday, 49% of the Black Fire's perimeter was contained.
Apart from these two historically large fires, New Mexico has also experienced several other notable wildfires.
The McBride and Nogal fires in the Lincoln National Forest threatened Ruidoso and surrounding communities in mid-April — early for the New Mexico fire season. Hundreds of homes were burned and families were displaced. Community members are still working to recover from losing everything in the blazes.
Two people were reported to have died in the McBride Fire, making it the only fatal wildfire in the state so far this year.
South Baptist Disaster Relief New Mexico volunteers clean up a mobile home that was destroyed in the McBride fire in Ruidoso on Friday, May 6, 2022.
The Cerro Pelado Fire started in late April in the Santa Fe National Forest near Bandelier National Monument, Jemez Pueblo and Los Alamos National Laboratory is now 95% contained. The blaze has burned over 45,000 acres and required evacuations of nearby areas.
West of Socorro, in the Cibola National Forest, the Bear Trap Fire started in early May and has burned over 38,000 acres of land and is 98% contained.
More recently, the Foster and Cinnamon Fires ignited in the New Mexico bootheel at the end of May. They have collectively burned over 8,500 acres of land and are contained or nearly contained.
The most recent wildfire to gain attention is a small 37-acre fire ignited in the Lincoln National Forest June 3 by a lightning strike. The Cienegita Fire is only about four miles northwest of the already hard-hit Village of Ruidoso.
An aerial view of the Foster Fire May 30, 2022 burning in New Mexico's bootheel in the Coronado National Forest near the border of Arizona.
While containment percentages may be increasing, this does not mean that the fires are extinguished. Rather, fire crews have portions of the perimeters contained and under control. The state’s fire season is still underway and while the North American monsoon season technically begins in mid-June, New Mexico will likely not experience the precipitation that comes with it until later in the summer.
As the rainy season approaches, officials are worried about flash flooding, landslides and destructive ash from burn scars, according to reporting from the Associated Press. Lightning strikes brought to the area by thunderstorms also may very well start new fires New Mexicans will have to deal with.
Biden will travel to New Mexico following the Summit of the Americas held in Los Angeles from June 8-10.
More wildfire coverage:
Black Fire could soon become second largest blaze in New Mexico history. Here's the latest.
Two of the largest wildfires in New Mexico history are burning right now. Here's a look at the 10 largest.
Foster Fire reassessed at 7,500 acres in the New Mexico bootheel
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Joe Biden to visit New Mexico in wake of historic wildfire season
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