Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires
May 31, 2022, Daily Update, 08:00AM
Acres: 315,627 | Containment: 50% | Total personnel: 3,065
Start Date: Hermits Peak: April 6, 2022; Calf Canyon: April 19, 2022
Cause: Hermits Peak: Spot fires from prescribed burn; Calf Canyon: Holdover fire from prescribed pile burn
Location: Located near Gallinas Canyon
Fuels: Heavy mixed conifer, ponderosa pine, brush, and grass
Highlights: In collaboration with Santa Fe National Forest, fire managers have reduced the frequency of Community Meetings for the incident. Community Meetings will now be held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This change is a direct result of the positive progress firefighters have made in containing this fire and limiting fire growth. Daily operational updates will still be available on social media and will be posted at various locations around the fire. New evacuation statuses were issued yesterday by the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office. Residents of San Miguel, Mora, Taos, Colfax and Santa Fe Counties should remain on alert for changes to evacuation statuses and road closures. Please visit the links below for more information.
Operations:North Zone (PNW2): Firefighters were able to hold the northern flank of the fire perimeter for a fourth consecutive day in critically dry and windy conditions yesterday. Hotshot crews and engines working from Ripley Point east to Angostura were able to hold and continue securing the perimeter despite winds gusting up to 45 mph. Firefighters also continued the work of securing the fireline from Ripley Point along the western flank of the Sangre de Cristo range down to Serpent Lake on the northwestern fire perimeter. Fire activity increased in the interior of the fire area in several spots including an island of unburned fuel close to the fire perimeter near Chacon yesterday, but firefighters were able to hold the perimeter. Crews and engines also continued to patrol and cool hot spots along NM Highway 518 from Chacon to Martinez Pond. Firefighters will battle gusty winds again today with warm temperatures and low relative humidity. Winds are also expected to move from a predominant southwest wind to a southeast wind tonight, and firefighters will continue work to secure the northern perimeter while also patrolling and monitoring fire activity along the NM Highway 121 corridor from Chacon down to Holman.
South Zone (SWIMT2): Repair work has begun on the east and south areas of the fire where suppression activities occurred. Progress made on the southwestern edge around Barillas Peak, Upper and Lower Colonias, and Bull Creek allowed a downgrade in evacuation status for some areas of the Pecos Valley. North to Elk Mountain, firefighters have completed the fireline and are strengthening it and cooling hot spots. In the Pecos Wilderness, the fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain. Fire managers are looking for places to construct an indirect line to fight the fire as it moves into more accessible areas. Today the fire will be active around Bear Creek and the Trampas Fire burn scar, but the southwest winds should prevent significant growth. In the last few days, the fire flared up around Big Pine, and crews were able to get line around structures and protect homes. Firefighters will continue this work.
Evacuations: to tinyurl.com/HermitsPeak for the evacuation map and follow:San Miguel County Sheriff facebook.com/smcso.nm
Mora County Sheriff facebook.com/moracountysheriffoffice
Taos County Sheriff facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064642843163
Colfax County Sheriff facebook.com/Colfax-County-Sheriffs-Office-New-Mexico-971817152850308
Santa Fe County Sheriff https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064737934118
The Ready, Set, Go evacuation guide is available in English and Spanish here: https://tinyurl.com/RSGNM
Weather: A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 1 pm Tuesday afternoon through 8 pm Tuesday evening. Minimum relative humidity values will be between 7 and 15%. Daytime temperatures will hold steady in the mid 60s-70s. Winds will ramp up, becoming southwesterly at 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 35 mph throughout the day, becoming southeasterly overnight.
Closures and Restrictions: All National Forests in New Mexico have closures or restrictions in place due to extreme fire danger. To learn more about these closures and restrictions, visit: https://tinyurl.com/bdy5y99r. Information related to fire restrictions across public and private land can be found at: https://nmfireinfo.com/fire-restrictions/.
After Fire Flooding and Recovery Resources: After Wildfire New Mexico guide https://www.afterwildfirenm.org/ ; Hermits Peak & Calf Canyon Fire Burned Area Emergency Response information https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8104/.Smoke: An interactive smoke map at fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions.
Fire Information: Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM | Phone: 505-356-2636 | Email: 2022.hermitspeak@firenet.gov Online: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8069/ | https://www.facebook.com/CalfCanyonHermitsPeak| nmfireinfo.com |tinyurl.com/HermitsYouTube | Santa Fe NF |
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