Single Publication

The Northern New Mexico Type 3 Incident Management Team Assumes Command of the Black Feather Fire 

Acres: 2,198 acres 

Start Date: August 5, 2023 

Cause: Lightning  

Fuels: Timber, Brush, Understory 

Containment: 28% 

Resources: 380 personnel 

Location: Approximately 9 miles south of Gallina, NM, on the Santa Fe National Forest, Coyote Ranger District. Near the Peñas Negras Trail in the San Pedro Parks Wilderness.   

Highlights: Today, at 7:00 a.m., Northern New Mexico Type 3 Incident Management Team, led by Incident Commander Steven Griego, assumed command of The Black Feather Fire from The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 2 (SWAIMT2), who has been managing the incident since Monday, August 9. The management teams met yesterday to begin the formal transition and review the strategic response and protection plan in place for the fire. Incident objectives continue to include firefighter and public safety, as well as protecting property, infrastructure, and other values at risk, including timber and watershed. 

Operations: Today, firefighters will focus on suppression-repair efforts and improvement of containment lines, including continuing to tie together hand and dozer lines with area roads. Crews are working closely with Resource Advisors (READs) on recommendations to help ensure the protection of critical areas and significant natural and cultural resources. Grader work on the 103 Road and chipping throughout the area will continue. Firefighters will continue to utilize the infrared drone to identify and mop up any hot spots. 

Safety: Expect increased personnel in the area and on local roads as firefighters and equipment move to new locations. Please stay out of the fire area to allow crews safe access to the fire. A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place around the fire area. Please do not fly drones anywhere near the fire. If you fly, we can’t fly. 

Weather: Scattered showers and thunderstorms brought wildly variable amounts of rainfall to the fire area, ranging from no measurable rain to over half an inch. This pattern is expected to continue into the late week, with high temperatures around 80 degrees and relative humidity falling to the 30s. Scattered showers and storms are still expected to pop up daily in the afternoons and evenings, though they may be increasingly restricted to higher ground as moisture modestly decreases.  

Restrictions/Closures: The Santa Fe National Forest has issued an area, road, and trail closure in part of the Coyote Ranger District. See https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/santafe/alerts-notices/?aid=82412 for information and a corresponding map. Forest Road 103 is closed to non-residential traffic. Closures will be adjusted based on fire activity.   

Smoke: Variations in temperatures and humidity in the coming days and weeks will impact smoke conditions. Smoke may be more and less visible in the area as active smoldering takes place. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. Air quality information is available at https://www.airnow.gov/  

Evacuations:  The communities of Mesa Pinabetal, Mesa Poleo, and Wetherill remain in ‘Ready’ status. The Coyote Senior Center is open to evacuees, and livestock can be taken to the Rio Arriba Rural Event Center near Abiquiu. The Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office will coordinate evacuations if they go into effect. For more information, use the QR code below and visit the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079688263048 

Fire Information: 505-460-0499 – 2023.blackfeather@firenet.gov  

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

New Mexico Fire Information: https://nmfireinfo.com/