Dog Fire – May 22, 2021 Update  

Cloud Cover Limiting Fire Activity Today 

Acres:  1,337 acres  Percent Containment: 0%  

Start Date: May 11, 2021 Cause: Lightning/Natural   

Origin Location: 34 mi Southwest of Whites City, NM Jurisdiction: Guadalupe Mountains National Park 

Fuels: Timber with litter and grass understory                    

Personnel: 59 personnel  

Yesterday, the fire increased in acreage to 1,337 acres. Additional firefighters arrived to assist with suppression efforts. 

Firefighters continue working to limit the fire’s spread and protect values at risk where they can do so safely and effectively. The objectives are to use natural and man-made barriers to keep the fire within the upper elevations of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, keeping the fire west of the Frijole Ridge, North of the Bowl/Hunter Trail, East of the Tejas Trail, and South of McKittrick Canyon.  

Today, fire behavior remains low due to increased cloud cover. Crews continue work to hold the west side of the fire along the Tejas Trail, removing brush and fuels. Firefighters are utilizing existing trail systems to limit the fire’s spread and protect values at risk. Access is challenging due to the steep and rugged terrain of the fire location. Firefighters will continue to monitor the Smith Canyon and will take action where safe to do so. 

An Area Closure is in effect. Trails starting at the Frijole Ranch and McKittrick Canyon trailheads are closed. The Frijole Ranch and McKittrick Canyon picnic areas are closed. Closed trails in the Pine Springs area include Tejas, Frijole/Foothills, and Bear Canyon Trails. Closed trails in the Dog Canon area include the Tejas, Bush Mountain, and Marcus Trails. A map is available on Inciweb.  

Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of this area. More info visit Know Before You Fly, http://knowbeforeyoufly.org. 

Fire Information: (915) 236-1177  

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7492/   

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  Dog Fire – May 21, 2021 Update
 
                                        Firefighters Working to Suppress the Dog Fire

 There are no area or road closures associated with this fire.  Campgrounds are open along the South Fork of the Salmon River - forest visitors may encounter smoke in the area.

BWCAW Entry Points #8 Moose River South, #76 Big Moose Trail, Forest Road 464, and Forest Road 465 are now all open to public use.
A BWCAW Overnight Permit is required for entry from May 1 to Sept 30 each year.

Current Status: Over the past several days firefighters and aircraft have made very good progress working to secure the fire edge and cool down pockets of heat as necessary around the perimeter of the fire. Fire crews continued this mop up work on the ground yesterday. Fire activity remains minimal along the edge of the fire. Due to improved mapping by crews on the ground the size of the fire has been adjusted to 782 acres. 

Planned Actions: Firefighters will check the perimeter of the fire area again today to seek out any pockets of heat and cool them down if found. Mop up work has been done around the north side of the fire working in along the edges to make sure that it is secure.  While the perimeter of the fire has been worked by firefighters, interior pockets of fuel might still burn so smoke may be visible at times. A local Incident Commander and small crew will remain assigned to the fire with the local west zone fire organization to continue monitoring and patrols over the next several days. Command of the fire and assigned resources will be returned to the local unit at the end of shift this evening (5/23/21). MNICS Team B will be demobilized and returning to their home units on Monday morning. Team B would like to thank everyone involved for their support and success working to contain the Bezhik Fire.

Weather: On Sunday, there is a 30% chance of rain. Temperatures will be a high near 51 and east winds 5-10 mph with gusts up to 15 mph.

Current Status: Fire crews continued to work directly along the fire’s perimeter yesterday. Weather conditions helped to moderate fire activity with clouds and higher humidity levels. No growth was observed around the fire. The fire area received ¼ of an inch of rain on Thursday night. An infrared heat detection flight was done on Friday morning and a map created for crews to use on the ground to find hot spots along the fire’s edge. On the northwest and northeast sides crews continued to work on hot spots and secure the edge of the fire. The fire affected areas around private structures continued to be monitored and crews extinguished any pockets of heat. Fire activity was minimal along the southwestern side. Firefighters also continued to work along the southeast side to cool off hot spots and mop up along the uneven fire edge as needed.

Planned Actions: Suppression and mop up activities will continue with crews and equipment along the northwest and northeast sides of the fire. Suppression repair work is planned for a few areas along the Moose Loop Road where parking areas had been created during the fire response. On the southeast and southwest sides, which are located within the Wilderness, firefighters will patrol and monitor the fire perimeter watching for hot spots. Helicopter bucket water drops will be used to cool off areas of heat along the edge of the fire as needed.

Weather: On Saturday, there is a chance of rain in the afternoon. Temperatures will be 75-83 and southwest winds 5-10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. Winds may shift to the west later in the day.

The Superior National Forest has a Closure Order in place for Forest Road 464 (Moose Loop), Forest Road 465, BWCAW Entry Point #8 Moose River South, BWCAW Entry Point #76 Big Moose Trail.

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR): There is currently a TFR in place for air space over the Bezhik Fire (FDC 1/8653) due to fire aviation operations. Remember that temporary flight restrictions also apply to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones. If you fly, we can’t!

Cooperating Agencies: Morse-Fall Lake Township Fire Department, St. Louis County Emergency Management, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia MN Fire Department EMS, U.S. Forest Service, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Size: 950 acres and 80% contained.

Resources assigned:  3 Engines, 3 type 1 Crews, 1 helicopter, and miscellaneous overhead.

Operations: Today, firefighters worked to hold, patrol, and improve firelines as well as cold-trail (identify remaining smoldering fuels and extinguish them) as needed.

With the increase in containment, the incident has begun to release resources and make them available to assist with other fires throughout the southwest. Resources will remain on scene until the fire reaches full containment.  This will be the final update unless significant activity occurs.

For public and firefighter safety, please avoid traveling near the fire area.

Current Advisories: There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire area which includes drones.  More information can be found at https://www.faa.gov/

Closures and Evacuations: None in place currently.

More Information:
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Twitter @CoronadoNF