Single Publication

 Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires
June 13, 2022, Daily Update, 08:00 AM 
 
Acres: 320,495 | Containment: 70% | Total personnel: 2,293 | 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: A live virtual community meeting will be hosted on the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires Facebook Page at 6:00 p.m. today. With a Red Flag Warning from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM, expect to see increased smoke as the fire remains active today, including in unburned islands of fuel in the interior. Suppression repair work in the North and South Zones is progressing, and crews are working to construct water bars on steep slopes to minimize resource damage when the monsoons arrive. 
 
Operations:  

North Zone (SWIMT1): Yesterday, suppression repair work continued with great progress around Chacon, with firefighters working south down NM Highway 121 along the fire perimeter. Crews also worked along and inside the northeast fire perimeter, repairing fire lines and roadways while also constructing water bars on steep slopes to minimize resource damage when monsoon rains arrive. Today, wildfire modules continue to monitor along the west flank of the fire down to the zone break. Work will continue with the shaded fuel breaks to the north and northwest of the fire. The public can expect to see an increase in interior pockets of fuel burning out during the day with the increased winds and atmospheric instability anticipated in the afternoon.   

South Zone (SWIMT2): With near-record high temperatures, increased winds, and low humidity, fire activity has increased in the Pecos Wilderness. However, favorable west to southwest wind continues to push the fire back into itself in many areas. Strategic firing operations may occur along the control line as the fire progresses toward Hamilton Mesa. Firefighters camped overnight near this area to get an early start today to begin these operations if conditions allow. Structure protection groups remain around Cowles and Geronimo. Plans are being made for repair work along the Skyline Trail, and chipping and spreading slash continues on the southwest perimeter. Suppression repair work continues in the Mineral Hills and San Geronimo area, including closing dozer lines, reseeding, fixing fences, and installing erosion control features. Yesterday afternoon initial attack resources, including firefighters and equipment from the Southwest Incident Management Team 2, San Miguel County, and the State of New Mexico, responded to a new fire near mile marker six on NM Highway 518. They were successful at holding this fire to a few acres.  

Evacuations: To view real-time evacuation information around the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires, visit: https://tinyurl.com/HermitsPeak for the evacuation map. The Ready, Set, Go evacuation guide is available in English and Spanish here: https://tinyurl.com/RSGNM. For disaster assistance resources, visit: https://www.nmdhsem.org/2022-wildfires/.  
 
 Weather: A Red Flag Warning has been issued for Monday with very low relative humidity, gusty westerly winds and an unstable hot airmass bringing critical fire weather conditions to the fire area. Minimum relative humidity values will drop down into the single digits and low teens along with wind gusts up to 35 mph. An isolated dry thunderstorm can’t be ruled out due to high level moisture and instability moving across the fire area, but the threat is low. 
 
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 |