SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By SFNF
Start date: June 11, 2021 Cause:Unknown Size: Approximately 150 acres Containment: 0%
Location: Pecos Wilderness, Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District, Santa Fe National Forest, approximately 2 miles east of Hamilton Mesa and 6 air miles northwest of the village of Upper Rociada.
Fuels: Spruce/fir at 11,000 feet elevation. Significant insect infestation has killed a lot of trees in the area, which is likely to raise the intensity of the fire and generate significant smoke.
Resources on Order: 4 Hotshot crews, a Type 3 Incident Management Team, air tankers and a Type 2 helicopter
Strategy: Fire managers are assessing the Rincon Fire and planning a minimum-impact suppression strategy within the parameters of the Wilderness Act. A key objective of wilderness fire management is to reduce the risks and consequences of wildfire within wilderness while causing the least alteration of the wilderness resource.
Weather: Hot and dry conditions are expected to continue with possible isolated showers and thunderstorms Saturday afternoon. Some of these storms may be dry with gusty, erratic winds.
Values at risk: The Pecos Wilderness resource itself and two government-owned cabins, including the historic Beatty’s Cabin.
Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the first priority.
Restrictions: A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place over the area, which includes unmanned aircraft or drones. Unauthorized use of unmanned aircraft, or drones, in a fire area endangers the lives of pilots and firefighters. Never fly an unmanned aircraft or drone over or near a wildfire. See https://www.nifc.gov/drones/ for additional information on the dangers drones pose to wildland firefighting aircraft and personnel on the ground.
Smoke: Smoke from the Rincon Fire is visible within a 100-mile radius of the Rincon Fire. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into the Santa Fe area 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 (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website at https://nmtracking.org/fire.
Fire updates will be posted on the SFNF website,New Mexico Fire Information website, Inciweb and on the SFNF Facebook and Twitter.
