Three Rivers Fire Update – May 5, 2021
THREE RIVERS FIRE UPDATE: May 5, 2021.
Acres: 7,033 acres. Containment: 30%. Resources: 242
Vegetation: Grass, dead/down timber, and mixed conifer.
Start Date: April 26, 2021: 8:00 am
Cause: Unknown, Under Investigation
Origin Location: ½ mile north of Three Rivers Campground; fire spread towards Ski Apache and the South Fork/Bonito area.
Crews continue to focus on the northern, western, and southern part of the fire. Considerable progress was made yesterday increasing and strengthening control lines along the perimeter of the fire, particularly on the north/northeast side of the fire. Fires in New Mexico typically are driven by southwestern winds that push the fire to the northeast, therefore, we are prioritizing working on the northeastern part of the fire, should the fire want to make an unexpected run in the future. The eastern side of the fire has shown little to no activity over the past few days thanks in part to the rain and snow received last week and also the limited fuel available to burn after the fire entered the Little Bear Fire scar.
Due to an ongoing pattern of lower fire activity, command of the Three Rivers Fire has been transferred to a Type-3 interagency organization under Incident Commander Manuel Martinez. Today, crews will be placed strategically around the fire and continue to monitor for and extinguish any hotspots, as well as begin suppression repair work.
Suppression repair involves the repair of any damage caused by the suppression actions during the fire. In areas where the fire is contained, suppression-repair crews begin to remove fire equipment and return sensitive areas to as natural a condition as possible.
Small pockets of unburned vegetation still remain within the perimeter of the fire and during the peak burning period, which is mid-day to late afternoon, may produce visible smoke, which can continue to smolder for weeks as is common after a fire.
Most of the Lincoln National Forest is open to visitors, however, the Forest and Mescalero Apache Tribal lands are currently under Fire Restrictions. A closure order has been issued for a portion of the White Mountains Wilderness and Three Rivers Campground. The purpose of the Order is to protect public health and safety during the Three Rivers Fire. See the links below for additional information on Fire Restrictions, Closures, and maps.
It is important to recognize that longer, more extreme fire seasons are likely to continue. With most of southern New Mexico already in extreme drought, the 2021 fire season is now upon us. If you haven’t already, now is a good time to start learning about living with wildfire and Ready, Set, Go! principles that will help you take steps to protect your home and your family.
ROAD CLOSURES
• Bonito Canyon Road past the Bonito Lake Dam
• Nogal Canyon Road past the Nogal Peak Trailhead
• Three Rivers Trailhead and Campground
• Monjeau Lookout at Sierra Vista
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7440/
Wildfire Smoke and COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/smoke-faq.html
Ready, Set, Go! http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/.../FirePreventionandOutreac...
