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Fire crews continued progress on the 521-acre El Valle Fire today, increasing containment to 32%. Continued work to strengthen lines and a change in weather prompted the Taos County Sheriff’s Department to lift all “Go” evacuations starting at 6:30 p.m., moving El Valle and Las Trampas to a “Set” status, using the Ready, Set, Go! system. 

The full list of evacuation statuses is: 

• Set: Chamisal, El Valle, Las Trampas, Llano San Juan, Ojitos/Upper Ojitos and Ojo Sarco 

• Ready: Hodges, Rodarte, Santa Barbara and Truchas 

“I want to thank the community for their patience with the evacuations,” said Incident Commander Fabian Montaño. “With the possibility of unpredictable winds, the unified team wanted to be extra careful before repopulating communities.” 

Relative humidity substantially increased this afternoon with forecasted daytime humidities unconducive for significant fire activity for the rest of the week. An incoming cold front is expected to bring rain as early as this evening. 

Despite the change in weather, fire personnel will continue to work toward full containment before calling the fire controlled and out. An infrared flight this morning (see video) showed heat through the burn area, where staff will also be monitoring for the potential of flooding from the burn area. 

Highway 76 reopened this afternoon and Santa Barbara Campground is scheduled to reopen Monday afternoon. 

The El Valle Fire was first reported at 12:49 p.m. on Sep. 8. Its cause remains under investigation. 

This will be the last regular fire update unless there are significant changes in fire activity, however, important updates, including changes to evacuation statuses, will be provided in real-time, including when 100% containment is reached. 

The public can check for fire updates on InciWeb, Carson National Forest social media (Facebook, X) and New Mexico Fire Information.