Single Publication

Fire activity increases within planned fire perimeter 

Daily Update – Friday, May 31, 2024 

Acres: 8,733  

Start Date: May 19, 2024 

Location: 7 miles north of the village of Coyote, NM  

Personnel: 659 

Completion: 25%  

Fuels: Timber 

Highlights: Active fire behavior within the planned fire perimeter led to a visible plume of smoke over the fire area. Large air tankers supported the work of ground crews to slow fire spread on the west side. Last night, an open house was held at the Coronado High School, providing fire information to over 50 community members.   

Operations: The fire grew by about 2,500 acres yesterday, starting on the western-most edge of the fire perimeter. Thermal winds influenced fire growth near Forest Road (FR) 64, pushing it to connect into the eastern portion of the fire overnight. Large air tankers dropped retardant in support of the crews as they worked into the evening with bulldozers to help protect private land and stop fire spread across FR 64. Throughout the day, crews masticated along contingency lines to the west of the fire and cleared cut vegetation along FR 8. Fire activity remained within the eastern boundary of the fire, and crews worked to identify and prepare secondary firelines outside of that area. Along the southern tip of the fire, aerial ignition efforts moved the fire north away from FR 77. As fire activity increased, crews in the south focused on community preparedness. Helicopters delivered 64 loads of water over the fire and will likely maintain the same pace today. Firefighters will continue to prepare secondary, contingency firelines outside the planned primary firelines. Aviation activity will remain high to support firefighters on the ground. 

 Weather: Humidity levels and temperatures should rise slightly today. The chance of precipitation remains at 10%. Warming and drying trends will likely continue over the next week, leading to active fire conditions. 

Smoke: A highly visible smoke column could be seen from Santa Fe and across the Rio Grande Valley. Heaviest smoke impacts were overnight into mid-morning hours along low-lying areas from Rio Chamas down to Hernandez. Areas along Highway 96 will have higher smoke levels where elevation is lower. Additional smoke monitors were installed yesterday in Coyote and more are planned for installation in Gallina, Española, Cañones, Chamas, and at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. A smoke outlook report for the Indios Fire is available online at the links below. View an interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/. Learn more about smoke impacts at https://www.env.nm.gov/air-quality/fire-smoke-links/.  

Closures: The Santa Fe National Forest has issued a new emergency area closure for the Indios Fire. The full closure order (No. 03-12-05-23-22) and map are available on Inciweb. Camping, water, and shuttle service will be available at the Coyote Ranger Station for Continental Divide Trail hikers impacted by this closure.  

Safety: A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place over the area, which includes uncrewed aircraft systems or drones. More information on the dangers drones pose to wildland firefighting aircraft and personnel on the ground can be found at: https://uas.nifc.gov/.  

inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmsnf-indios-wildfire / nmfireinfo.com / 

575-323-2290 / x.com/SantafeNF / facebook.com/santafeNF / 2024.indios@firenet.gov