SFNF Takes Command of Cuervito Fire

By SFNF

The Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT) spent its final day on the Cuervito Fire preparing to turn command of the fire back to the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) at 6 a.m. Friday morning.

Since May 13, the IMT has used hand and aerial ignitions to add low- to moderate-intensity fire to the ground as part of a management strategy to use this lightning-caused wildfire to achieve significant benefits on the ground and reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire in the future.

Location:  9 miles east of Pecos and 3 miles southwest of the Barillas Lookout on the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District

Start Date:  May 9, 2021

Size:  Approximately 1,300 acres

Cause:  Lightning

Resources Assigned:  1 crew and 3 engines

Fuels:  Ponderosa pine, piñon-juniper, Douglas fir and oak brush

Operations:  Today crews continued to secure the edges of the fire and prepared to transition command of the Cuervito Fire to a Type 4 IMT from the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District.

Weather:  Tonight will be partly cloudy with scattered rain showers after midnight. Winds will be out of the south at 15 to 25 mph.

Values at risk:  Firefighter and public safety is always the number-one priority for the IMT. Values at risk include private property nearby.

Smoke:  Smoke management is a key part of the planning and implementation of managed wildfire. Smoke from the Cuervito Fire may impact the communities of Santa Fe, Pecos, Las Vegas, Rowe, Glorieta, La Cueva, North and South San Ysidro, Ilfeld, San Jose, San Juan, Tecolote, Soham, Ribera, Serafina, Bernal, Anton Chico, Mineral Hill, San Geronimo and Pablo as well as the I-25 corridor and the Pecos National Historical Park.

Safety:  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. Information on the Forest Stewards Guild’s HEPA Filter Loan Program is available here.

Fire updates will be posted on the SFNF website, New Mexico Fire Information website,Inciweb and on the Santa Fe National Forest Facebook page and Twitter @SantafeNF.