Each morning, we video a briefing done especially for the public by one of our Operations Section Chiefs, so you'll have current information on what we've accomplished and our plans for the day.

 April 26, 2022 Pete Myers

April 25, 2022 Mike Davis  

April 24, 2022 Pete Myers

  Cerro Pelado Fire Update

Monday, April 25, 2022

Hours: 8 am-8 pm            Phone:  505-312-4593      Email: 2022.CerroPelado@firenet.gov      
InciWeb:  https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8075/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2022.Cerropeladofire         Twitter: https://twitter.com/SantafeNF

A public meeting about the Cerro Pelado Fire will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, April 26th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Jemez Mountain Baptist Church, 6 Riverview Court, Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Members of the Southern Area Red Team, and agency representatives will discuss and answer questions regarding plans and current progress made on the fire.

The Cerro Pelado Fire, 7 miles east of Jemez Springs, New Mexico, started on Friday, April 22 during an epic wind event. The cause of the fire is under investigation. It is burning in ponderosa pine and mixed conifer trees and brush. The fire is close to the fire footprint from the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, the 2013 Thompson Ridge Fire and the 2017 Cajete Fire. The current fire footprint includes forest units that have previously been treated to reduce fire hazard. The Southern Area Red Team, a Type 1 Incident Management Team has command of the fire.

Acreage: 4,688  Containment: 0 percent 

Personnel and Equipment:  88 total personnel; 7 engines, 1 Type 2 Initial Attack Crew, 4 helicopters, and 1 water tender. More people and equipment have been ordered. 

Yesterday:  Firefighters had good success working on the fire yesterday. The structure protection group continued their assessment of structures across the fire. On the northern perimeter, hand line construction continued. There was a small strategic firing operation north of 270. Helicopters continued reconnaissance and bucket drops on the fire. The Sierra de Los Pinos and Cochiti Mesa communities of about 100 residences remained evacuated, and firefighters continued to protect structures. Firefighters worked with the Jemez Electrical Cooperative to identify downed power lines so power could be safety restored to residences in Cox Ranch, Jemez Falls, Sierra de Los Pinos, and the Valles Calderas National Preserve.

Today: Firefighters will take advantage of the good weather today to make progress on the fire. They will continue to protect structures near the fire, including the Sierra de Los Pinos and Cochiti Mesa communities. Helicopters will also fly reconnaissance missions over the fire assessing fire behavior and dropping water.  Firefighters will continue to construct hand line to protect the Sierra de Los Pinos community. They will directly engage close to the fire in some areas to minimize impacts to the community. On the southwest side of the fire, firefighters will strategically fire a small area to keep the fire north of Forest Road (FR) 270. They will consult with resource advisors before conducting any ground-disturbing activities in order to protect sites of cultural importance. Firefighters will also patrol and monitor the fire at night.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Today the weather will give firefighters a reprieve from critical fire behavior.  There is a 20 percent chance of rain or snow in the morning.  It will be cloudy with southeast to southwest winds. Temperatures will be in the lower 50s. The relative humidity will be in the lower 20 percentiles.

Southeast winds on monday morning will push the fire toward New Mexico Highway 4. Higher relative humidity will help to ease fire behavior concerns. The Cajete Fire footprint is located in the northeast quadrant and will slow fire spread. The northwest quadrant will experience the most pressure pushing the fire toward NM 4 until winds turn to a southwesterly direction. Moderate fire behavior is expected. 

Evacuations, Shelter Areas: The Sandoval County Fire Department and Emergency Management will provide updated information on evacuations, as needed. The Sierra de Los Pinos and Cochiti Mesa communities remain evacuated. Evacuees may seek shelter at the Jemez Mountain Baptist Church, 6 Riverview Court, Jemez Springs, New Mexico, 575-829-4475. Those who evacuated livestock may bring them to the Expo/New Mexico Center at 300 San Pedro Drive NW, Albuquerque or the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Posse Arena at 1043 Rodeo Lane, Bernalillo, New Mexico (call Yvette Arnold 505-263-6388).

Air quality: Information on air quality is at New Mexico Department of Health Environmental Public Health Tracking, https://nmtracking.org./fire. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions.

Closures: New Mexico State Police have closed NM Highway 4 from the junction with NM 126 east to nearly the NM-501 intersection at the Los Alamos “back gate.” Please stay clear of the Jemez Springs area to keep yourself and firefighters safe.  

Fire Restrictions:  The Santa Fe National Forest is preparing a closure order to restrict public access to the area around the fire.  Stage II Fire Restrictions are in effect for the Santa Fe National Forest, which prohibits building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove including charcoal and briquettes. Smoking is also prohibited except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter that is cleared of flammable material. For other activities prohibited under Stage II Fire Restrictions, see https://www.fs.usda.gov/santafe/.

Also, due to ongoing fire threats, Sandoval County will not issue burn permits.

Temporary Flight Restriction:  There is a flight restriction on the area over the fire (10 nautical miles southwest of Los Alamos, NOTAM 2/2366). https://www.tfr.faa.gov. Drones over the fire are also prohibited. 

 Hours: 8 am-8 pm            Phone:  505-312-4593      Email: 2022.CerroPelado@firenet.gov     

InciWeb:  https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8075/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2022.CerroPelado/         Twitter:

Type 1 Team Takes Command Tomorrow

 Start date: April 22, 2022        Cause: Unknown          Size: 50+ acres                             Containment: 0%

Pine Park Fire FINAL UPDATE

Datil Mountains

Pine Park Fire - April 22 - EVENING UPDATE

Datil Mountains

Reported start date / time: April 21, 2022 - 1400

Cause: Unknown        

Size: 31.6 acres.

Location: Datil Mountains, Magdalena Ranger District, Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NGs). Fire start was 3 miles northwest of Datil.

Containment: 50%

Fuels: Pine, Pinyon-Juniper and Grass.

Fire behavior: The Pine Park Fire is exhibiting minimal fire behavior.

Weather: Current conditions: Above normal temperatures with humidity at 7%, 10-mile visibility and drought conditions. Winds are 40 mph from the southwest with gusts of 48 mph. Forecast: High wind warning in effect until April 23, 1200. Southwest winds 40 to 55 mph with gusts up to 75 mph possible. Turning west and decreasing 30 to 40 mph with occasional gusts to 65 through the evening hours. https://www.weather.gov/.

Resources on scene: 65 firefighters from the Cibola National Forest, Datil, Horse Mountain, Pie Town and Quemado Fire Departments are on scene with 6 Type 6 Engines, 1 Type 2 Handcrew, 1 Type 2 Modules, Type 3 Helicopter, Overhead, Air Tankers, Water Tenders, and Retardant Drops.

Strategy: Crews continue to secure the fire edge. The strategy for the Pine Park Fire is full suppression.

Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the first priority. Members of the public should stay away from Pine Park Fire operations.

Drones pose a serious risk to firefighting and can cause air operations to cease.
The public is reminded that “If you fly, we can’t!”

Smoke may be visible in the surrounding areas of Datil, Pie Town, Alamo and Magdalena. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found online at the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website nmtracking.org

All fire updates will be posted on the  Cibola NF & NGs website, New Mexico Fire Information website, and the Cibola NF & NGs Facebook  & Twitter pages.

For more information on Pine Park Fire contact:

Magdalena Ranger District Office: 575-854-2281

Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands Supervisor’s Office: 505-346-3900

Pine Park Fire – April 22 UPDATE

Datil Mountains

New Fire Start on the Magdalena Ranger District
Pine Park Fire – April 21

Datil Mountains

NOAA National Weather Service-Albuquerque Office:

Thunderstorm Forecast for NM Burn Scars starting July 10 through July 14

Albuquerque, NM (weather.gov)

This table below indicates the probability for thunderstorms over New Mexico wildfire burn areas. Storm motion and atmospheric moisture content are also listed as these factors can have considerable influence on the risk for burn scar flash flooding. Storm motion is the direction that storms will move toward. This product is experimental and for planning purposes only.

Go to the Photos Tab on this InciWeb Page for a close-up image of the NWS table below. 

For the most up-to-date NWS forecast for NM “burn scar storms” go to:

Albuquerque, NM (weather.gov) and click on the “Burn Scar Storms” header on the right side of the page under NWS Albuquerque.