Smoke was visible the past two days on the Rawhide Fire as it grew 600 acres in the Lawyer Canyon area of the Guadalupe Ranger District on the Lincoln National Forest. Hand ignitions were successfully conducted on Wednesday to help check and direct the fire's movement through the canyon.

Monsoonal rains will likely hit the fire area within the next two weeks. In the meantime, crews will continue to allow the fire to fulfill its natural role in the ecosystem. Fire plays an integral role by reducing fuels on the forest floor. It will also help curtail encroachment by juniper trees which can regenerate rapidly, out competing other vital plants like grasses, which are needed for forage.

Higher humidity levels are resulting in low to moderate fire behavior on the 9214-acre fire. The lightning-caused Rawhide Fire is burning in an area with no structures or infrastructure at risk.

Soon after the Rawhide Fire started on August 8, fire managers identified a 21,500-acre planning area to confine the fire. Crews worked diligently to secure the area utilizing roads and ridges to anchor from and backburn. The fire has burned through 43% of the planning area so far.

The Rawhide Fire was active over the weekend as crews conducted aerial and hand ignition operations targeting areas of unburned and thicker fuel loads. The lighting-caused fire burning five miles northwest of Sitting Bull Falls has now increased to 8,004 acres.

Fire activity on the Rawhide Fire was minimal Thursday because of high humidity levels following rain showers Wednesday evening. Crews continued to monitor the fire throughout the day as thunderclouds passed over the fire. Ignition operations earlier this week were successful and brought the total number of acres burned to approximately 2,305.

Once favorable weather conditions return, a helicopter will be utilized to conduct aerial ignitions along the edges of the already burned areas. As the fire moves across the landscape, it may encounter dense pockets of fuel that may result in increased smoke and fire behavior. Smoke may be visible from Carlsbad and Queen, NM throughout the weekend.

Parts of the Rawhide Fire planning area had already been identified to be prescribed burn in the future. Instead, fire managers can take advantage of this naturally-started fire to bring positive restorative benefits to the landscape now. The location of the Rawhide Fire combined with the time of year is ideal to see desired and beneficial results of reducing forest fuels. Unlike fires during the hottest and driest times of the year, the Rawhide Fire occurred when intermittent rains are likely to continue. Recurrent rainfall increases fuel moistures and typically decreases fire behavior. Historically, lightning fires occurred on this landscape every 15-35 years and burned freely under similar conditions.

The Forest Service Road 522 Loop including Road 522B remains closed to the public to ensure firefighter safety. The lightning-caused Rawhide Fire started August 8 about five miles northwest of Sitting Bull Falls in Rawhide Canyon. It is spreading predominately west and is still well within the 21,500-acre planning area.

Forest Service Road 522B is closed. The road is being closed to reduce the chance of traffic or pedestrian accidents while firefighters are in the area.

The lightning-caused Rawhide Fire on the Guadalupe Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest has been allowed to grow to 250 acres within the planned perimeter to fulfill its essential role of reducing forest fuels and improve overall ecosystem health.

Favorable conditions, including light winds and precipitation in areas adjacent to the fire, have resulted in a low-intensity fire that is moving along the forest floor. The Rawhide Fire is located near Rawhide Canyon about five miles northwest of Sitting Bull Falls and is burning in mostly grass, shrubs and some juniper trees. The blaze is expected to move northeast as terrain south of the fire is rocky with limited vegetation available to carry the fire.

Forest officials will issue a closure order for Forest Service Road 522B later today. The road is being closed to reduce the chance of traffic or pedestrian accidents while firefighters are in the area.

Allowing the wildfire to burn through this area naturally will remove fuels that could feed future severe wildfires, as well as help to restore the forest's structure to more historic conditions. While there is no planned end date for the wildfire, forest managers have established a planning area within which the fire will be allowed to move. It is unlikely the wildfire will move across the entire planning area, given weather conditions and fuel type.

Currently, there are two engines and about 20 people assigned to the fire. Additional resources, including a Wildland Fire Module, which specializes in fires like the Rawhide Fire have been ordered.

The Rawhide Fire is burning in a remote area and poses no danger to buildings or infrastructure. However, smoke is likely to become more visible over the coming days as the fire spreads within the defined planning area. As needed, fire managers plan to conduct burnout operations to strengthen control lines, which frequently causes a temporary increase in the amount of smoke produced.

News Release
BLM Arizona Strip District, Arizona

For Immediate Release: August 14, 2019

Media Contact: Rachel T. Carnahan, Public Affairs Officer

rcarnahan@blm.gov (435) 688-3303

Trumbull Fire update and notice of temporary fire area closure

St. George, Utah – On August 5, 2019, fire managers responded to a lightning caused fire located approximately 53 miles south of St. George, Utah within the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. The “Trumbull Fire,” located in the Mt. Trumbull Wilderness is now approximately 505 acres, burning in ponderosa pine, oak brush, pine needle duff and grass. Multiple resources from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arizona Strip District are monitoring the fire; including one helicopter, one engine, and a fire effects monitor.

This lightning caused fire is being monitored as it burns naturally across the landscape. This fire is being allowed to play its natural role within the fire-adapted Ponderosa pine ecosystem. Under the right conditions, fire helps break down nutrients and minerals in plants and other debris such as old logs and dense undergrowth and restores them to the soil. The process also improves wildlife habitat and preserves wilderness values while protecting monument objects.

Temporary Fire Area Closure –The Mount Trumbull Fire is in close proximity to the Mount Trumbull Trail and southern end of the Temple Trail. A temporary emergency fire area closure is in effect for these trails, as of August 14, 2019. The public is not allowed to use the above trails due to concerns for public safety and potential impacts to fire-related activities. The closure will remain in effect until it is determined that conditions are safe and that fire activities would not be affected by trail use. For safety reasons, all permit holders in the area must contact BLM Arizona Strip District Fire Management at (435) 688-3366 prior to entry.

For more information about the Mount Trumbull Fire, please visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6514/. Updates will also be provided via Twitter at https://twitter.com/BLMAZFire.

– BLM –

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $96 billion in sales of goods and services throughout the American economy in fiscal year 2017. These activities supported more than 468,000 jobs.

The lightning-caused Adobe Fire, reported yesterday, is approximately 25-30 acre, burning on National Forest System lands, Sierra County, NM. This fire lies just east of the private property, Los Adobe Ranch; and three miles south of an El Paso Electric powerline. It is burning in grass and ponderosa pine. This fire is visible from Winston, NM. With predicted weather, values, fire growth potential a decision has been made to manage this fire and allow fire to play its natural role on the landscape.

In the evening hours, the fires will appear both larger and closer than it is due to the inability to reference its size to any physical landmarks.

Smoke from fire rises during the daytime, but in the evening can pool down in canyons, drainages, and basins. For information on air quality and protecting your health, and to find guidance on distances and visibility, please visit https://nmtracking.org/fire. Fire information can be found at nmfireinfo.com.

For information on the Gila National Forest, check out our website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/gila or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

How wilderness managers balance the risks, rewards and ecological necessity of fire in our wildest places - an article by Tristan Scott