Single Incident Information

Update 6/11/2024 Update: 

Fire managers have postponed the burn for a couple of weeks. Too much rain was received yesterday and fire would not be able to meet project objectives. As always, we will continue to monitor conditions and restart the planning process when the fuels dry out adequately. 

The Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF) in Colorado and Carson National Forest in New Mexico are planning to initiate a broadcast prescribed fire to the south of Mogote, CO and northeast of Chama, NM. Fire managers are currently monitoring conditions, including snowmelt and fuel moistures. Planned ignitions are likely to begin on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Careful consideration of weather, fuels conditions and resource availability in the area will be given, prior to the fire being started.

Three separate burn units are planned for this approximately 1,000-acre  prescribed fire which includes 192 acres on the Carson National Forest in New Mexico. Fire managers from both agencies are closely coordinating on this prescribed fire.

The general location of the prescribed fire is south of Mogote, CO just southeast of RGNF Forest Road 103, along the 103.2B on the west and 125.2B on the east. The south units are bound by Carson NF Road 75 and on the west by the 494 Road. The forest roads will be open to the public, but fire crew traffic may limit access. 

The purpose of the Bighorn/Stateline Prescribed Fire, which is within the Rio Chama Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project boundaries, is to reduce thinning slash that was generated several years ago and to return fire to both the mixed conifer and ponderosa forest settings. This condition more closely resembles its natural state, where frequent and low intensity surface fires burn ground fuels and small trees while maintaining an open stand of larger trees.