Dog Head Fire Update

Wednesday, 06/15/2016 – 11 PM                          

Estimated Acres: 2,000                  Start Date: June 14, 2016

Cause: Under investigation         Location: 5 miles NW of Tajique, NM

Containment: zero                          Fuels: heavy dead/down timber, ponderosa pine stands

Total personnel:  682

New toll-free phone lines for fire information will be staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. starting June 16: 

855-585-5547, 855-585-5546, 855-581-3862, 855-581-3861                                                  

Evacuations:

Bernalillo County: Mandatory evacuations have been ordered this evening from the junction of state highways 217 and 337 south to the Torrance county line. For information about this evacuation call the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office at (505) 468-7100

Torrance County:  Voluntary evacuations have been ordered this evening from the county line south to state highway 55 and from state highway 337 to the west.  For information about these evacuations contact the Torrance County Sheriff’s Office at (505) 544-4900

Evacuations centers are located in Estancia at the Torrance County Fairgrounds (for people and pets), and in Tijeras at the Los Vecinos Community Center.

Today’s Actions:  The fire showed significant growth today due to high winds and low humidity.   Winds out of the southwest gusting up to 30 MPH pushed the fire in a northeast direction.  Flame lengths of 100 feet were observed.  Spotting occurred ½ mile ahead of the main fire.  Less active fire behavior occurred along the northern and southwest edge of the fire.

A full range of suppression tactics were used to fight the fire on the ground and in the air.  Crews and dozers successfully held handline established yesterday at the origin of the fire 1.5 miles north of Inlow Youth Camp.  They continued to build additional line along the flanks of the fire.  Structure protection is ongoing in Chilili. Airtankers made over 50 drops of fire retardant and 4 helicopters made numerous water drops throughout the fire area in an effort to protect a number of resources including communities.

At 6 p.m. this evening, command of the fire transferred to Incident Commander Rich Nieto’s Type 2 organization.

Smoke Impact:  Heavy smoke from the Dog Head fire will settle into the upper Estancia Valley tonight including Moriarty, Edgewood, Chilili, and Tajique. The National Weather Service (weather.gov) has issued an air quality alert for the area near the fire through mid-day Thursday:  http://1.usa.gov/1Ue2rxY

Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems 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 website at https://nmtracking.org/fire.

Fire Information:

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/DogHeadFire/

Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4784/

NM Fire Info: https://nmfireinfo.com/

###