Calf Canyon Fire
April 20, 2022, Daily Update, 9:00AM
Acres: 150 acresStart Date: April 19, 2022Cause: Under investigationContainment: 0%Total personnel: 75Location: Located near Gallinas CanyonFuels: Mixed conifer Highlights: The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team 1, led by Incident Commander Carl Schwope, assumed command of the Calf Canyon Fire on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. The Type 1 Incident Management Team continues to build containment around the Hermits Peak Fire while shifting additional resources and management capabilities to the Calf Canyon Fire to implement a full suppression strategy. Operations: The Calf Canyon Fire is a new fire start reported on Tuesday in the Upper Gallinas area. Firefighter and public safety remain our number one priority. There will be increased traffic from firefighting efforts along Calf Canyon Road. Caution is advised when traveling in this area. Helitack firefighting resources were shifted to the Calf Canyon Fire to begin suppression efforts. The temporary flight restriction (TFR) has been expanded from the original Hermits Peak Fire to include the Gallinas area. As air resources will be essential to assisting ground resources in suppression the Calf Canyon Fire, we ask residents to respect these temporary flight restrictions and avoid the use of drones. Evacuations: Due to the Calf Canyon Fire, the evacuation status and road closures are currently being assessed by the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office, using the Ready, Set, Go! system. Stay tuned and alert for updated details on evacuation orders on the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/smcso.nm. Weather: Strong winds in the early morning influenced mountain wave activity across the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Strong winds are expected to continue into the afternoon, though to a lesser extent than yesterday. With continued southwest to west winds, overnight humidity recoveries will continue to be poor. Critical fire weather conditions are expected to persist for the remainder of the week. Friday will bring the next big system and wind event, potentially along with the warmest temperatures so far this season. Restrictions: The Santa Fe National Forest has issued a closure order to protect public health and safety during fire operations on the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak Fires. The full closure order and map are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/santafe/home. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place over the area, now also including the Gallinas Canyon area, which covers unmanned aircraft, or drones. More information on the dangers drones pose to wildland firefighting aircraft and personnel on the ground can be found at: www.nifc.gov/drones. Smoke: Increasing smoke and haze today, along with blowing dust due to very high winds, will affect air quality. Smoke from the Calf Canyon Fire may be visible from Gallinas, El Porvenir, San Pablo, Mineral Hill, San Geronimo, Gascon, Pendaries, Rociada, Mora, Ledoux, Las Vegas, and along the I-25 corridor. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions. Future Fire Information: The Calf Canyon Fire Information office hours are 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM. There is a new phone number for Information, which is (505)398-1151. The email address is 2022.calfcanyon@firenet.gov. Future fire information will continue to be posted on Inciweb, the SFNF Facebook and Twitter, SFNF website, and New Mexico Fire Information website.