UPDATE on Antelope and Cottonwood Creek Wildfires on Mountainair and Mt. Taylor Ranger Districts

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, June 15, 2024 – Yesterday fire crews responded to two wildfires on the Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands. Today crews have reengaged firefighting operations for full suppression.

Mountainair Ranger District: Antelope Fire
Reported Date / Time: June 14, 2024 / 1421
Cause: Lightning Size: 1.5 acres Containment: 0%
Location: The fire is burning off FSR 161 in Pinatosa Canyon within Gallinas Mountain of the Mountainair Ranger District on the Cibola National Forest.
Resources on scene: 2 USFS Engines – Mountainair 642 and West Virginia 641.
Strategy: Full Suppression.
Fuels: Dead & down timber and grass.
Values at risk: there are no threats to communities, infrastructure, or values at risk.
Smoke may be visible from FSR 161 & 99.

Mt. Taylor Ranger District: Cottonwood Creek Fire
Reported Date / Time: June 14, 2024 / 1309
Cause: Undetermined. Lightning was detected in the area.        
Size: Approximately 40 acres Containment: 0%
Location: 12 mile west of Bluewater Lake and 9 mile south of I40 in the Zuni Mountains of the Mt. Taylor Ranger District on the Cibola National Forest.
Resources on scene: 3 hand crews from USFS & BLM, 1 USFS Engine 623 and helicopter resource.
Strategy: Full suppression.
Fuels: Ponderosa Pine and Pinyon-Juniper.
Values at risk: there are no threats to communities, infrastructure, or values at risk currently.
Smoke may be visible from Bluewater Lake and south of I-40 in the surrounding areas of Thoreau.

Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the highest priority. Please avoid the area while crews conduct fire suppression on the Antelope and Cottonwood Creek Wildfires.

Drones pose a serious risk to firefighting and can cause air operations to cease.
The public is reminded that “If you fly, we can’t!”

Weather in Central NM: Today: Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming east after midnight. https://www.weather.gov/