Location: Manzano Mountains Cause: Human
Percent Contained: 75%
Date Reported: 7/8/2020 Size: 180 acres
Fuel: Ponderosa pine, Slash
Mountainair, NM – For Immediate Release – Yesterday light precipitation fell over the Ojo de los Casos fire, which has been burning in the Manzano Mountains for over a week. The fire remains at 180 acres and is now 75% contained. Yesterday thick dust clouds around Albuquerque, throughout the East Mountains and the Estancia Valley lead many to believe it was smoke from this fire but that was not the case. The fire has only a few small hotspots remaining which are putting up minimal smoke. Mop-up, equipment removal and initial attack will be the focuses of firefighters today as the possibility of thunderstorms continues. Unless there is a significant event, this fire will only be updated once a day.
Weather: Today will be partly cloudy with a 40% chance of precipitation in the afternoon. Temperatures over the fire area will be mid to upper 80s today. Minimum humidity should stay in the mid 20’s today.
Safety: Safety of the public and firefighters is always the top priority in wildland fire operations. Ojo de Los Casos Fire operations include best management practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within firefighter crews/operations and within the general public.
Smoke: Little to no smoke has been reported as being emitted from the fire. Information on health impacts from smoke can be found by visiting the New Mexico Department of Health website at https://nmtracking.org/fire.
Drones: The public is reminded to avoid the use of unmanned aerial systems (drones) near wildfires. When drones are illegally flown over a fire, air operations can be suspended, and crews lose a valuable resource, which can adversely affect the safety and efficiency of the overall firefighting effort. For more information on drones, see https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/uas/if-you-fly, and Know Before You Fly!
Closures: There are no closures at this time.
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6837/
New Mexico Fire Information: www.nmfireinfo.com
Facebook: Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (@cibolanf)
Twitter: Cibola NF&Grasslands (@Cibola_NF) and New Mexico State Forestry (@NMStateForestry)
