Indios Fire Update

Thunderstorms and the associated rain and wind hampered Friday’s suppression repair operations. Crews came off the mountain early due to safety issues associated with lightning. However, the moisture helped cool areas of the fire that have continued to smolder. As temperatures warm up and fuels dry out over the next few days, some smoke may become visible again.

Operations: Firefighters, heavy equipment operators, and Forest staff continue with suppression repair work. A grader will help spread gravel along several roads as repairs continue. Fire personnel are making drainage improvements on various roads and firelines. Chipping continues in some areas, and crews are still cutting down hazardous trees.

A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team is assessing the burn severity of the fire. BAER teams are staffed by specially trained professionals: hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, biologists, vegetation specialists, archeologists, and others who evaluate the burned area and prescribe stabilization treatments. In areas of higher fire severity, the priority is stabilization to prevent further damage to natural resources. While a large percentage of this fire had desirable effects due to low to moderate intensity, the BAER team is still assessing areas of higher intensity fire that may need stabilization to prevent erosion, increased flood risk, and stream, river, and reservoir sedimentation.

Weather: Between .25 and .75 inches of rain fell over the fire area Friday afternoon, prompting a Flash Flood warning issuance. Breezy west winds on Saturday will create a warming and drying trend. Sunday will be hotter, drier, and breezier than Saturday, creating elevated to near-cntical fire weather conditions.

Smoke: Minimal smoke impacts are expected for the foreseeable future. Learn more about smoke impacts at https://www.env.nm.gov/air-quality/fire-smoke-links.

Closures: A Santa Fe National Forest emergency area closure is in place for the Indios Fire. The full closure order (No. 03-10-01-24-04) and map are available on Inciweb. Camping and water are available at the Coyote Ranger Station for Continental Divide Trail hikers impacted by this closure.