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TAOS, N.M., Aug. 10, 2023 – Despite sunny, warm conditions over the fire area, the American Mesa Fire continues to hold at 756 acres and is 35% contained. The wildfire is 15 miles southwest of Dulce.

“We received some isolated torching of juniper trees,” said Operations Planning Chief Jay Bertek on August 9, “But nothing escaped the line. Crews are making good progress securing hose lays and protecting the fire line edge.”

Crews are monitoring the fire and look to take advantage of direct attack strategies where opportunities allow. There are no immediate threats to structures. Two helicopters were used today to secure hotspots along the fire's edge. An Infrared (IR) Flight is scheduled for August 10th to identify other hotspots within the fire perimeter that need to be worked.

The forecast for Thursday calls for partly cloudy skies with a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Temperatures may be cooler with breezy conditions and gusty and erratic winds expected near thunderstorms in the afternoon. Unless significant activity changes, American Mesa Fire Updates will be posted every other day.

The public can get updates for the American Mesa Fire on InciWeb, New Mexico Fire Information and Carson National Forest social media channels on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).