USDA Forest Service News:
The issued the following update this morning on the Cerro Pelado Fire burning in the Jemez Mountains.
A red flag warning remains over the fire area today due to high winds and relative humidity in the single digits. With the high winds forecast today, expect to see increased smoke within the fire perimeter.
Crews will continue to patrol the perimeter of the fire on the northwest side, including the Peralta Canyon area, and continue to mop up deep into the interior of the fire perimeter when it’s safe to do so. Heavy equipment continues suppression repair on the west side of the fire. Patrolling the fire’s perimeter on the eastern and southern sides of the fire will continue.
Crews will be assisting with any needed initial attack that arises across the entire fire area. With critical fire weather continuing today, the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Three would like to remind the public to be safe with fire and observe all closures and fire restrictions.
Incident Statistics:
- Size: 45,605 acres
- Containment: 95 percent
- Start Date: April 22, 2022
- Cause: Unknown
- Total personnel: 280
BAER Information:
The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has begun assessment of National Forest System (NFS) lands impacted by the Cerro Pelado Fire. Information and resources can be found on the Cerro Pelado Post-Fire BAER assessment InciWeb page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8118/.
Crews/Equipment:
- 4 type II hand crews, 9 engines, 10 water tenders and 2 helicopters.
Evacuations:
- Sandoval County: https://www.sandovalcountynm.gov/fire-alerts/
Closures:
- Santa Fe National Forest Closure order: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/santafe/alerts-notices
- Carson National Forest Closure order: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/carson/alerts-notices
- Cibola National Forest Closure order: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/cibola/alerts-notices
- Fire Restrictions: The Santa Fe, Carson and Cibola National Forests have implemented forest closures due to the extreme fire danger.
Stage II Fire Restrictions:
State II fire restrictions (link) remain in effect for the Santa Fe National Forest, which prohibits all campfires and other hazardous activities. Due to ongoing fire threats, Sandoval County will not issue burn permits. Stage III Fire Restrictions are in effect for Pueblo de Cochiti and Los Alamos.
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 is available at https://fire.airnow.gov/.
Information Phone Line:
- 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
