SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By SFNF
Highlights: Firefighters with the Southwest Area Type 2Incident Management Team 4 have directed considerable effort toward maintaining good communication and developing trust with local property owners on the Rincon Fire. Their cooperation has greatly assisted the Team in their strategic planning efforts.
Operations: Under favorable weather conditions, flight crews are continuing to conduct reconnaissance flights over the Rincon Fire to monitor fire behavior. Yesterday, a reconnaissance flight observed fewer smokes than previous days, indicating a further decline in fire activity. Throughout the day, thunderstorms were observed near the Rincon Fire. These storms brought thunder and lightning throughout the region, causing three new fire starts to the west of the Rincon Fire area. Helicopter crews promptly responded with water bucket drops to help minimize fire activity. With the Rincon Fire becoming less active, the number of personnel assigned to the fire will continue to decrease as resources are released to support other incidents across the Southwest.
Weather: A brief period of strong, dry northwest winds will arrive on Sunday, with temperatures running well above normal. A weak cold front will briefly move in from the north on Sunday night, with a cooler air mass moving over northeast New Mexico on Monday. Above normal temperatures are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday as the region becomes warmer and drier.
Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public is the first priority. Members of the public are urged to stay away from the vicinity of the Rincon Fire. Backpackers planning to enter the Pecos Wilderness are advised to change their plans.
Restrictions: Due to ongoing drought and high fire danger, the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) is implementing Stage 1 fire restrictions forest-wide with an order that took effect on Thursday, June 17. The west side of the Forest has been in Stage 1 fire restrictions since May 24. In addition, a Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the area, which includes unmanned aircraft, or drones.
Closures: The Santa Fe National Forest has issued a closure order to protect public health and safety from June 16 through December 31, 2021, unless rescinded earlier. The closure order prohibits members of the public from entering the restricted area, including all Forest Service lands, roads and trails on the eastern side of the Pecos Wilderness within an area roughly defined by Jacks Creek Trail #257 and Beatty’s Trail #25 on the west to Skyline Trail #251 on the north to the Pecos Wilderness boundary on the east to Lone Pine Mesa Trail # 214, El Porvenir Trail #247 and Skyline Trail #251 on the south, then heading north to Iron Gate Trailhead and Jacks Creek Trailhead.
Smoke: Smoke from the Rincon Fire is visible within a 100-mile radius of the fire. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your location to see the latest smoke information. 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 Environmental Public Health Tracking website at https://nmtracking.org/fire.
Fire Information: Rincon Fire updates will be posted onInciweb, SFNF Facebook and Twitter, SFNF website, and theNew Mexico Fire Information website. If residents are interested in learning more about disaster preparation, please visit https://www.wildlandfirersg.org/ to read about the “Ready Set Go” program.
