Single Publication

Start Date / Time of Fire: July 18, 2023, 9:00 pm

Cause: Lightning

Size: 100 acres

Containment: 2%

Location: East of Sacramento Lookout Tower, 6 mi. north of the community of Timberon, 3.5 miles southeast of Sunspot, NM.

Fire Strategy: Confine and contain

Resources: 1 type-1 crew, 1 type-2 crew, 1 fuels crew, 1 dozer, 4 engines, 1 module, additional support personnel. Total Personnel: 96

Fire behavior: Low/Moderate fire behavior.

Types of vegetation in the area (aka fuels): Mixed conifer, locust and oak brush, dead and down trees.

Values at risk: No structures or communities are at immediate risk.

Update: The Apple Tree Fire is a lightning-caused fire that is burning with low to moderate intensity. Each fire receives a strategic, risk-based management strategy. Today, almost one hundred firefighters other support personnel will continue with their confine-and-contain strategy which includes removing vegetation along the roads and trails and widening other firelines to ensure they have a secure perimeter as the fire progresses across the land towards the firelines. “We’ve seen the negative impacts that a century of immediate fire suppression has caused to the forest and we must move past this outdated idea,” said Josh DuBoise Fuel Specialist at the Lincoln National Forest. “The Apple Tree Fire is a great example of a fire in the right place, at the right time, that can be managed for resource benefit and create a healthy, fire-resilient forest.” One hundred years of fire suppression has resulted in an overabundance of trees, both alive and dead. This is called hazardous fuel loading and it can lead to high-intensity fire in certain conditions. Decades of research has shown that forests need regular fire to remove these hazardous fuels. Some plant species, like quaking aspen, actually thrive after a fire. After carefully considering the weather, values at risk and vegetation in the area, fire managers will manage the Apple Tree Fire using a confine-and-contain strategy using existing roads, trails and constructed fireline. A confine-and-contain strategy under the current conditions, allows fire to move naturally across the landscape, providing ecological benefits to plants and wildlife. There are no homes at risk and no major infrastructure in the area.

Smoke: Smoke will be visible in coming days as the fire continues to progress across the landscape. Please use caution when driving along Sunspot Highway towards Timberon, NM. Smoke will be heavier in the mornings as it settles into lower elevation and will lift as temperatures increase. A column of smoke from the fire will be most likely in the afternoon and evenings. Smoke is moving to the West/Southwest and will likely impact Timberon, NM and Otero Mesa.

Visitor Information: The road to Sacramento Lookout is blocked due to fire equipment in the area. Visitors are advised to stay out of the fire area to allow for firefighters to quickly and safely access the fire. Please avoid Apple Tree Trail, Apple Tree Canyon and Forest Service Road 64 near Sacramento Lookout. Expect to see heavy firefighter traffic along Forest Service Road 64.

Weather: The fire received rain yesterday evening. There is 50% chance of rain today. Winds are 4-10 mph with temperatures lower today at 70 degrees. Higher humidity levels compared to previous days are forecasted at 44% during the day and 77% overnight.

Evacuations: None

Road Closures: None

Major Injuries/Fatalities: None

More Information:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AppleTreeFire2023

Twitter: @LincolnUSForest

Other: www.NMFireInfo.com

You can expect another update mid-day tomorrow.